The price of freedom
by WickyLEE6
Summary: A girl with no memory is found in shiloh, and rescued by Sonny and D'Jok. The pirates become her new family, but as her quest to give something back to them, takes her to Technoid, Rose is faced with a difficult choise. her loyalty will be tested. D'Jok is also faced with difficult choises concerning his future. Can he take his fathers place as the pirates chief?
1. Chapter 1

The price of freedom

_The main charracter in the story, is not a part of the show. I chose to build the story around her, and D'Jok because these two have a lot to do in their lives, and are still young. We will follow D'Jok, on his way to taking his fathers position as the chief of the pirates, and young Rose, a girl with no past, or memory of who she is. As the story progress, the oc will become clearer. I hope you'll rewiew actively on this, cause i'm not sure how it will progress at this point._

_ Chapter 1: The girl without memory.._

How did she end up here? Last thing she remembered, she was in her bedroom, in her home. She sat up. The landscape was the one of a barron wasteland. Rocks. Dust. It looked like pictures she had seen, from the flux wars that roamed a few decades ago. Only, this place looked desolate. She found herself alone. She couldn't remember anything. Who was she? Not even her name, she could remember. Tears of hopelessness filled her eyes.

«Where am I?»

Her being alone, there was no one to reply.

«And, who am I?»...

«Sonny, you need to take D'Jok with you!» Maya's face was the one out of pure fear.

Sonny frowned when he saw that.

«Don't worry Maya, I'll take care of him. Now, tell me what's happened» Sonny said in a calm voice, to try to calm the frightened fostermother of his son down.

«I keep having these reoccuring visions, if D'Jok stays, Technoid will harm him».

« They'd be wise not to» said Sonny.

«But, it's not the worst Sonny. You need to be careful».

Sonny had to smile when he heard that. His friends kept telling him that all the time. They all knew Sonny's infamous intuition. He sensed danger before it hit. If Maya warned him, she knew more than she was telling.

«Why do you say that Maya? You know I'm always careful».

«Sonny, I can't see clarly, but you're in danger. All i ask, is that you watch your back».

Sonny nodded.

«Ok, have D'Jok ready, I'll come personally to pick him up»..

D'Jok was nervous. Maya was scared. And why would she ask Sonny to take him to Shiloh? D'Jok wanted answers, and no one would tell him anything.

A hand carefully landed on his shoulder.

«Don't worry Son, it's me».

Sonny!

«Dad!»

Sonny looked at him.

«We don't have a lot of time. Technoid is out on patrol tonight. We have to lay low» he told his son.

D'Jok didn't ask. He knew who Technoid were looking for. Not that it surprised him. The standing bounty for Sonny's capture, was now at a staggering 10 million standard credits. And when the bounty went this high, Sonny was no longer safe, not even when with Corso and his men. It was a matter of time. They all knew.

Sonny helped D'Jok carry things that he had put in his backpacks. Then, after a quick goodbye, they snuck out. D'Jok saw Sonny activate his trackersignal.

«Just a safety measure» he told his son.

«Can't Technoid track it?» D'Jok wondered.

«No, it's a stealth five, unless you know my frequenzy, you won't find me» Sonny said with a smirk.

Soon, father and son reached the ship, and took of towards shiloh..

She had walked in what felt like hours. Still, there was no sign of life. It looked like she had landed somewhere, where no one lived. She tried her holowatch. It seemed to have some signal here.

«Is anyone out there? Please, can anyone help me?»...

Corso was puzzled at the signal. He had turned it on, to keep track of Sonny and D'Jok upon their return to Shiloh. It seemed to be one of the deserted rocks in the archipellago. If there was someone there.. in one way, he could ask Sonny to have a look, but if this was technoid, Sonny would be in grave danger. Corso decided there was only one thing to do.

«Sonny, pick up!» he muttered, as he called his friend and leader...

Sonny was thoughtfull. What Corso had told him, sounded suspicious. But, he had to check it out. Here, in the shiloh archipellago, you could get lost if you didn't know your way. D'Jok looked at his father. Now 28 years old, D'Jok was an adult. Sonny suspected that Maya hadn't told him everything on what had made D'Jok a target for Technoid. Sure, Duke Maddox knew he was his son. But he had not made any attacks on D'Jok for that matter prior. Sonny knew, after they stoped fotball, some of the snowkids, had worked within Technoid, while others oposed Technoid. But, he still relied on the snowkids working within Technoid. Much of the information he had these days, were information dispatched to him from Micro- ice and Thran, the most skilled hackers he had ever seen. Off course, they always dispatched the information through a third party, Clamp, who knew how to inform his old friend without being spotted.

D'Jok had finsihed university, much thanks to him and Maya making it clear he had no choise. An education was important, no matter what profession he choose. But, D'Jok had started underground work as soon as he was out of school, and it worried Sonny. D'Jok was still rough around the edges, he lacked some skills. No to mention the issue of his teams safety. Sonny had interviened several times, when D'Jok had messed things up, and lives could have been lost. Maybe it was just luck, but so far, no one had gotten killed.

«So, what did Corso say?» D'Jok had been silent a long while.

«We'll make a survey, of one of the smaller rocks in the acrhipellago. Corso picked up a signal, it could be a trap, but we 're closer than the Black Manta. We'll take a look, and decide wheter we do anything» Sonny said, as he handed D'Jok the binoculars.

«here, make yourself useful. The rock should be to our left» he told his son.

Knowing how reckless D'Jok could be, Sonny was not about to let his son stear the ship, if he wasn't sure they wouldn't crash.

D'Jok kept looking in the binoculars.

«Dad, there's something there, it looks like a pod has crashed!» D'Jok took the binoculars down.

«Careful D'Jok. Technoid could have set a trap for us» said Sonny.

Rather than answer his father, D'Jok raised the binoculars to his eyes again.

«There's someone There Dad!»

Sonny carefully manouvered the ship closer. D'Jok kept staring.

«Dad, we have to save her!».

«Fine, but we'll be cautious!»

Sonny found a place to land, and carefully sat the pod down. D'Jok was ready to bolt for the person on the ground, when Sonny grabbed his arm, and handed him an oxygenmask.

«This isn't Akillian D'Jok. The air is different. Wear this, till your body adapts».

Both men put oxygenmasks on, and excited the ship.

As soon as they came close, Sonny would be alert with his vapour laser. Years as a pirate had tought him when he need to arm himself, and this was one of them.

D'Jok forgot everything concerning his own safety.

He ran as fast as he could towards the injured person on the ground.

«Dad, it's a girl» he said.

«I can see that D'Jok, is she hurt?» he asked.

D'Jok nodded.

«She seems banged up, from the crash Dad. What do we do?» he asked.

Sonny looked around. It didn't appear to be a technoid ship that had crached. Infact, he had never seen this language it was written in before.

«Take her to the ship. We'll take her to the Shiloh Nebula for questioning».

Then, the girl fluttered her eyes open.

«Where am I?» she whispered

«You're in the outskirts of the Shiloh archipellago» Answered Sonny mildly.

Now that he knew they weren't dealing with Technoid, he had put his laser away.

The girl seemed dazed. But it soon proved worse.

«Who are you?» she asked them.

D'Jok and Sonny exchanged glances.

«You don't know?» said D'Jok.

This couldn't be. Sonny's wanted poster was shown nearly every ten minutes. She couldn't possibly not know who he was.

«No, I don't» she said.

That's when they realised her language was one they didn't know very well either.

Sonny decided to take the bull by the horns.

«You're not from the Zaelion Galaxy, are you?» he asked mildly.

«I.. don't know where I'm from» the girl said.

As the words escaped her lips,tears started rolling down her cheeks.

«Do you know your name?» asked D'Jok. He was staring to grow frustrated, a trait Sonny had decided to get rid of. If D'Jok was to become the leader of the Shiloh pirates, he needed to go through some changes that would make him more aware of the tasks involved with leadership.

«I can't remember» she cried, hiding her face.

Sonny grabbed his son's arm.

«Dad!» D'Jok was surprised.

«I'll take over from here, D'Jok. She is obviously frightened, and alone. There was no one else in the pod».

Sonny crouched down.

«Do you know who I am?» he asked.

She shook her head.

«Dad, she's faking it».

«No D'Jok. She's lost her memory».

Turning back to her, Sonny took her hands.

«We'll take you to Shiloh, you'll be safe there. With the pirates».

«Pirates?» she asked. It seemed to scare her.

«Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds» said D'Jok.

«The shiloh pirates are friendly, unless you're with Technoid» said Sonny, hoping to trigger a memory this way.

D'Jok looked at them.

«You can trust my father. He's the leader of the shiloh pirates» said D'Jok.

Sonny nodded.

«We need to introduce ourselves. This is my son, D'Jok Blackbones, the future leader of the pirates. My name is Sonny Blackbones, the current leader of the pirates. Think no bad thoughts of us. You'll soon learn things about me, that will make you doubt me, and the fact that I am wanted. Trust what is in your heart. If you trust me, I will help you. Do you think you can do that?» he asked.

The girl looked at him for a long while. Then, slowly, she took his hand.

«I trust you, with my life, Sonny Blackbones, leader of the pirates».

«Now, we need a name for you» D'Jok smiled.

Sonny was well ahead of him.

«Your pirate name will be Rose Blackbones, a member of my family on Shiloh»..

_So, should I bother to continue this story? I would like to hear what you think. Please post a rewiew._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Shiloh

Rose felt safe. She had not regretted her decission to trust Sonny. Yet, living with them, was no easy task at all times. D'Jok was headstrong and often oposed his father. Sonny tried to guide D'Jok, make him calm down, and see the effects of his actions. It was sure no easy task. The two Blackbones men were often at eachother.

«D'Jok, it's not the way things work. You just can't launch yourself into an operation, without thinking through the possible consequenses first» Sonny sighed, as he poured the soup she had made into a bowl, and sat down at the kitchen table to eat.

D'Jok was standing in the doorway. And he was mad.

«Dad, you know as well as i do, we have to infiltrate Technoid».

«Not the way you suggest son. It will certainly end in bloodshed, possibly the loss of lives. If it's not necessary, I won't ask any one to risk their lives» said Sonny, his bodylanguage clearly stated that this debate was over, with him as the winner.

«Dad..»

«Enough D'Jok. You got a lot to learn about leadership yet. I realise i've been too leanient with you till now. It stops now, tonight, I'll have Corso set up a mission for you and a few select pirates to carry out. You better follow the mission parametres D'Jok, or I can't trust you to take my place when time comes!».

Rose chose to remain silent as father and son argued. She knew, from experience, that Sonny would have things his way. He was not the leader of the Shiloh pirates for no reason.

She also got along with Sonny's right hand man, Corso. He usually came over to dine with them on a daily basis. Sonny didn't care to hide pirate matters from her, she had already proved she could keep a secret. D'Jok was a different matter. His stubborness and oversized ego, was a constant frustration to both Sonny and Corso.

«Sonny, I swear, one day I'll slap him, if he keeps acting like this» said Corso, as he gazed over at Sonny. D'Jok had left the room, to go pout somewhere.

Sonny sighed. His son was stubborn, no doubt about that. But, he still hoped, and believed that he could change.

Rose too had her ups and downs. Slowly, little by little, she started having flashbacks, wich made no sense to her. One day, it was particulary hard. Rose sat on the couch, and started crying. D'Jok came in time to see.

«Rose, what's the matter?» he said and sat down net to her.

His murky green eyes sought her blue, as he gently wiped the tears.

«oh,D'Jok. I can't grasp on to anything. These blinks just come and go. I never know when they surface. And each time they do, it drains me. Why can't I make sense of the memories?» she cried.

D'Jok had no answer to give. This was as far from his field of expertise as you could come. Infact, schoolwork had bored him. He didn't understand why it was so important to Sonny and Maya that he finished school, but he had done it, just to satisfy them. But, as soon as he was done, he had started, slowly, to do the underground work he did today. Sadly, he often forgot what his father had thought him about caution. Because of that, he was concidered a loose canon amongst his own. Sure, most of the snowkids did underground work, but they had regular jobs on the side. What was eating D'Jok, was that even his best friend, Micro- Ice had landed a high profile job within Technoid. Though, it didn't mean he had become Technoid- friendly. Micro- Ice often, if not always, shared any information of interrest with Artie, who, in turn, brought Micro- Ice's finds to Sonny. Sonny then evaluated the information, to see if it could come in handy for the pirates. D'Jok wished he could do the same. But, because he was unable to control himself, he constantly messed up. Though Sonny didn't tell him directly, D'Jok knew. He had disappointed his father, to the point where even Sonny was starting to doubt him.

Sonny came in, and noticed the scene.

«Rose? What is it?» he said, crouching down beside her, taking her hands in his.

He then looked to D'Jok, as Rose was unable to answer.

«She's having somekind of flashbacks Dad. It's frustrating her, cause she can't make sense of things, and it's draining her emotionally» D'Jok said.

Sonny nodded. Carefully, he pulled Rose into his arms, and had her lean her head against his chest.

«Ssshhh, We're here Rose, you're not alone. I know what you're going through» he whispered.

D'Jok could only watch, as his father gently rocked Rose, like you'd do with a little baby, till the crying gently stoped.

«Better?» Sonny smiled and looked at her.

Rose just nodded.

«D'Jok, you'll be with Corso and Bennett tonight. This mission is important D'Jok. I've put Corso in command»

«Won't you come with us Dad?» D'Jok asked.

«No, with the bounty as high as it is now, it's too dangerous. I'd be too visible, something we don't want» Sonny replied

The mission lasted several days. But, for Rose, it was good days. Sonny stayed at home with her. They laughed and had fun. He also showed her places in shiloh, that most wouldn't think could be beautiful at all. But Sonny saw a different kind of beauty in the barron wasteland that made his kingdom.

«Beauty is in the eye that sees Rose. I don't see a landscape that offers a great deal of riches in crops, or other values like that. But I see a land where the ones in need find freedom, and that, is a beauty wich cannot be measured» he said.

Rose believed him.

As the years passed, Rose became a fullblooded pirate. She underwent the training, and became a strong and confident woman. Slowly, even D'Jok calmed down, just like Sonny had hoped for. He became more eatable for the pirates, and slowly started earning their trust. Even his old teammates, wich had expressed concern for his reckless behaviour, started talking to him again. The world was slowly falling into place.

As much as she enjoyed being a homemaker, Rose felt useless. She wanted to learn a trade, something that would enable her to give something back to the community she was a part of. She saw a need for a certain profession. A doctor. In shiloh, the pirates were left to take care of things themselves, and with serious wounds, they sometimes did experience deaths. It pained her each time they had to follow a young pirate to his last resting place. But, she knew it was still better than before.

Ever since the first time Sonny had taken her to the pirates bonfire, she had heard stories on how life as a pirate was then, as oposed to now. She knew Corso was one that should not have been here. But he was. Bennett should have been permanently blind, but no. His sight was weakened, but he was still able to see. But, to protect his eyes, he wore special sunglases, all the time.

Rose and Bennett had become good friends. She had assisted him several times, with wounded men.

«You're a natural at this Rose, have you concidered becoming a nurse?» Bennett had asked.

«Actually, I think more of becoming a doctor» she replied.

A dark shaddow was seen crossing Bennetts face. He couldn't bring himself to tell her, but for her to get her license, she would need to have an internship at Technoid.

He seriously doubted Sonny would let her. He'd be unable to contact her, and protect her there.

But, Sonny surprised them all. He too knew of Rose's exceptional skills.

«If that's what she wants to do, it's up to us to find a way to make it happen!» he told his men.

«Are you sure we ought to Sonny? If they find out who she is, they'd use her to get to you!» said Artie.

The youngest of Sonny's team, had grown into a clever pirate over the years. And was now a valued member of his team. Sonny tended to leave sensitive tasks to Artie.

«We can't be selfish about this Artie. I know how you feel about Rose, I've seen it. But, Rose has a point» he said.

«We do need a doctor..» Said Bennett thoughtfully.

«What do we do Sonny?» Corso wanted to know.

Sonny rubbed his chin, a sign he was thinking hard.

«Corso, find out how we can safely enroll her in the Technoid program. I'll create a false identity for her».

«She could still have her first name, right?» D'Jok asked.

«And she will. Her last name will be altered. If necessary, we'll erase her true name from her mind..» Sonny thought out loud.

«Could be difficult Sonny, she still suffers from the memoryloss. There is no telling what a memory erasure would do. It could at worst cause irreperable damage» Corso warned him.

Sonny nodded.

«We'll think of something. The most important thing now, is her safety»..

Rose looked around the room. This was it. This would be her home now. She'd be having both classes and an internship to tend to. She wished she could put up some pictures of her family, but knew it was risky. Sonny was still wanted, and after the last raid, the bounty had been upped two millions. She remembered that Sonny had taken a shot to the right leg, wich had put him on crutches for some time. But Sonny didn't let that stop him.

When she had left Shiloh, to start her new job, it had been sad, for all of them. Sonny had hugged her for a long time. She knew, it would be sometime before she would see him again. He could not contact her in Genesis, it would be too dangerous for him. The others had felt the same way. They were sending one of their own into an uncertain future.

She decided that she was going to pass her exams in flying colours. This was her chance, her way to say thank you. When she was done, her plan was to open her own hospital in Shiloh. She looked at a picture taken, just before she left Shiloh. It was a picture of her, D'Jok and Sonny. The Blackbones. Carefully, she wiped a tear, as she hid the photo in a safe place.

«I'll make you proud, Sonny..»

Being in the operating room, made the blood rush in her veins. Saving lives,seeing new life born. All of this was part of her studies. She only wished she could tell the ones back in shiloh of all of this. They would have been so proud of what she had achieved already. She was a top grade student of her class. Her phone rang.

«Rose, you're needed at the hospital in the operating room. It's a big operation this time».

«Who's the patient?» she asked.

If she was to parttake in a major surgery, at least she wanted to know.

«it's Duke Maddox personally. An ulcer» sounded the reply.

«I'll be right there» she replied.

Duke Maddox, Sonny's archenemy. She was to parttake in his surgery. Normally, the freshmens wasn't allowed, but Rose had impressed the doctors. She was a natural born doctors in charge, predicted a bright future for her. Still, this time she was drawn between hatred for the patient, and the desire to follow her dream. If she followed the path of the hatred, she would get nowhere. She knew Sonny, who had taken her in, and cared for her, was a wanted man because of this man. It was because of Duke Maddox she couldn't see her friends, her adopted family. Sonny had altered her last name in the official paperworks, but in her heart, she was a Blackbones. She didn't know any other life. Here on Genesis, she had to lead a different life than what she was used to. She had no idea where the money to finance all of it came from, and Sonny wouldn't tell. Possibly this was from the looting the pirates conducted. She knew they had to. If they were to survive, the pirates needed to earn a living. How fitting that Technoid's convoys was the main target. All other merchants were left alone, but if you represented Technoid...

Rose shook the thoughts from her head.

«Rose, you need to act professionally. No emotions involved» she told herself.

She grabbed her coat and the id cards, and then, she was on her way..

«Looks like Rose is doing good» said Corso, and handed some papers to Sonny.

Sonny glanced through them.

«Straight A's all over. She'll make a great doctor when her education is complete, just what Shiloh needs» he said.

«Well, that last surgery on the list that she parttook in might interrrest you, Sonny».

Sonny scoped to the bottom.

«Duke Maddox. She was on the team?»

«Says so in the report, she did the anestethic» said Corso.

Sonny nodded.

«That, would be well into your second year before you get to do, especially with a patient like Duke Maddox. I'm impressed» Sonny said.

«As oposed to your son?» Corso stared at him.

Sonny sighed.

«What has he done this time?» he asked.

Corso pulled out a chair.

«plenty, you better sit down Sonny, I got a lot to tell you»...

D'Jok was angry. Why wouldn't anyone listen to what he had to say? His ideas weren't that bad?

Being who he was, D'Jok wasn't used to any kind of resistance to his plans, he had been a captain of the famous Snowkids for crying out loud! But nowdays, no one showed him respect. In his thoughts of himself, D'Jok forgot all about the mistakes he had made. He wasn't a natural at the pirate skills, like his father. To measure up to the Great Sonny Blackbones was difficult. The people of Shiloh seemed to love him. Since he had moved here, he had been faced with a life very different from the one he lived in Akillian. He didn't like it.

In his rage, he kicked a pebble.

«Aouch, watch it D'Jok!» Stevens called out, as he rubbed his eye.

«Sorry, just not myself these days» D'Jok piped up.

«Are you ever? D'Jok, what's gotten into you? You were never this way when we played in GF!».

Stevens had long since retired from football, after a serious injury that tore his ligaments in the right foot. Unlike Rocket, who had suffered much the same type of injury, Stevens did not have access to the same kind of treatment,and it left him crippled.

D'Jok sighed.

«It's the pressure I guess».

Stevens smiled.

«come over and sit with me D'Jok. Then you tell me what the problem is. I know Sonny wants the best for you, but he's your father. And that makes it difficult for him to treat you like he should have!» Stevens said.

«Huh? What do you mean Stevens?» D'Jok was confused.

«D'Jok, you want to become a pirate chief or not?» asked Stevens.

«That is my destiny» said D'Jok.

«Well, then you got to start changing, and be more responsible. Remember the paradisia tournament, all those years back?» Stevens said.

«Yes? What about it?» D'Jok wondered.

«You may not realise D'Jok, but you caused a lot of pain for many, Sonny included. But I can see why.»

«Really?» D'Jok sounded doubtfull.

«Really, now, if you want to listen D'Jok, I'll offer you a great advice. However, it's not up to me to decide if you'll take it»

D'Jok leaned closer.

«I'm listening»...

At dinnertime, Sonny glanced at the time.

«Where's D'Jok?» he mumbled.

«probobly out pouting» said Corso.

D'Jok's behaviour since he came to Shiloh, was starting to wear all the pirates on Sonny's team down. No matter how they put it, D'Jok just didn't seem to take what they told him.

«Hi Dad!»

«D'Jok, you're just in time» Sonny said.

He did not look forwards to this evening. Corso had told him things that made him realise just how out of control D'Jok was. He needed to set firm rules for his son.

D'Jok looked in, then, he looked down.

«Dad, Corso, I'm glad you're both here, I got something I need to tell you» he piped.

Corso and Sonny looked at eachother.

«What is it this time D'Jok?» asked Corso with a sigh.

Sonny felt like sinking into a hole in the ground. This didn't sound good.

D'Jok sat down on a chair.

«I realise, I've behaved below my age. I am headstrong, got an oversized ego and only care about myself. What I am trying to do here, is apolloguize. I know you don't trust me Corso, and with good reason. It's not my place to ask for more chances, even though that's what I'd like to do. And Dad, I've let you down. Just how bad, I can't even get a grasp on. But if you're willing, I'd like to ask for a second chance».

The pirate chief and Corso looked at eachother. This came totally out of the blue.

«What made you have this insight?» Corso wondered.

D'Jok looked down.

«A wise pirate, gave me an eyeopener. If I want to survive on shiloh, I have to change. I can't promise it will happen overnight, but if you'd be willing to hold me by the ears every now and then..» he looked hopefully at them.

«Don't you tempt me boy!» warned Corso.

Sonny, however relieved he was at what D'Jok was saying, knew he couldn't trust his son blindly.

«D'Jok, respect is something you earn, do not take that for granted. Wheter you're my son or not, I'll treat you no different from the rest of my men. You'll start at the bottom. We all peeled potatoes and had kitchen duty aboard the Black Manta. From now, that is your job. I don't want any complaints. You do as you're told. And when you're ready, we'll give you new chores.»

Sonny hated sounding this stricht, but a glance from Corso made him stand his ground.

D'Jok nodded.

«I can live with that. Thank you Dad!»

«And for the record D'Jok, aboard the ship, it's Captain Blackbones, or Sonny. Not Dad!»

«Ok».

The agreement was put in writing, and sealed with a hug.

D'Jok got one more chance to prove himself. But, would he be up for the task?

_The chapter got more D'Jok centered here. This is because, i don't think he'd have an easy time on Shiloh. Being Sonny's son will soon prove to be no walk in the park. As for Rose, she will play a major role in the chapters to come. And get this, Sonny will be moved more to the outskirts of this story. He's not the main charracter here. How I will do this? Keep reading, and you'll see. But drama is coming, lots of it. The other snowkids will also come into play, but not for a few chapters yet. I hope for good rewiews on this story._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Promdate

Rose was excited. Excited and worried. She had met someone. A young intern, like herself. They had so much in common, laughed and shared jokes. In luchbreaks, they would sit at the same table to eat. Her first kiss.. Rose closed her eyes. She was in a dream, a bubble. And it had downsides. She could never tell him about her family on Shiloh. Hami hated the pirates, especially Sonny Blackbones.

She had heard his thoughts of a man she cherished, and adored. They had been at a party, and as Hami got well drunk, he had revealed that he was the nephew of Duke Maddox. Rose had felt very bad about that part once he told her. She wished she could break away, but there was no way to do that, not whitout revealing her true nature.

She continued dating Hami, the future Duke maddox, and head of the company. Rose watched Hami, and a thought that occured over and over, was that if D'Jok had a big ego, Hami's was bigger. When he would go all out, Rose missed D'Jok, wich would have been far safer to hang around with.

Hami had invited her to the prom. Rose felt like she had no choise but to accept. But, she wished she could have contacted Sonny, and ask what he felt about this. Rose closed her eyes. If she focused, she could see a mental picture of the man that had saved her life. He was not obligated to, and still, he had. The picture Hami drew of him and the pirates, was one Rose felt strange and filled with errors. Sonny was no thief, he did what he had to do, to keep himself and his men alive. Rose knew that Sonny had contacts, something he had admitted was still hard getting used to. He worked to protect the stability of the galaxy, his knowledge had proved invaluable to the flux society. They had offered him a seat in the society, but Sonny had politetly declined the offer. He needed his freedom of movement, and the element of surprise, to feel at ease with things.

Rose checked her book. She had a full day off, and Hami was sceduled for two surgeries that day. She would be able to get a decent dress for the prom too, perhaps even some jewlewery.

Rose got her handbag, and left.

Genesis had a variety of shops, she all of a sudden felt in high mood as a smile formed on her face...

«Corso, look, isn't that..?» D'Jok whispered as he crouched down besides his fathers right hand man.

Corso checked the id visir on his mechanical eye. It was a match.

«It's her allright D'Jok».

D'Jok stared at her.

«She looks so adult».

«Well D'Jok, she is 24, what did you expect?» Corso grinned.

«I don't know really, but not that!» D'Jok said.

He couldn't take his eyes of her. When they found her, she had been young, D'Jok realised he had failed to see the young woman she had become.

«Should we...?» he asked Corso.

«Sonny told us to follow her, and wait for a chance..» said Corso.

D'Jok nodded.

«I just hope we can do this safely» he said thoughtfully.

Corso nodded. D'Jok had kept his promise to his father and him, as they gave him a second chance. Gradually, Sonny had entrusted D'Jok with more important missions than getting foodsupplies. By now, D'Jok was becoming a good pirate, Sonny had started the training as a leader a few months back, and D'Jok had taken it seriously.

The training of his son, had kept Sonny's thoughts of Rose for most of the time, but even Sonny admitted he missed her. Corso knew Sonny kept track of her, through Thran and Micro- Ice, wich sent him updates.

Then, Thran had informed Sonny of Rose's boyfriend, Hami.

«I don't know Sonny, but I'd be worried».

«Why is that Thran? He's treating her nice, isn't he?» Sonny questioned his hacker.

«yes, but, I've heard rumours. If he finds out she's got your familyname, there is no telling what he'd do».

Sonny frowned when he heard this.

«So, what's his story?»...

Rose looked through all the racks, the dresses was well within budget. But she could not make a decission.

Rose sighed.

«You look like you could need some help» said a voice behind her.

Rose turned.

«Mei! what are you doing here?» she smiled.

«Out shopping, what else?» laughed the brunette.

She looked at the dresses.

«Sounds like Someone is going to the prom» she laughed.

Rose gave up.

«Am I really that lost?» she smiled.

Mei gave her a glance, that told her there was more to things than she could tell.

«How's D'Jok? And Sonny?» Rose asked in a whispering voice.

«Come with me» Said Mei and took her hand.

For the unsuspecting, it looked like two friends that were out shopping. Inspite of the breakup that Mei and D'Jok had before their third galactik football championship in a row, they had worked through it. They found back, when D'Jok realised he had to change to actually win her back. Then, D'Jok became wanted, after several underground operations was nearly fatal for members of the group. Each time, the pirates had intervined. The original snowkids team, retired from football a few years later, but the friendship they had with the pirates lasted till this day. And several of them, worked in secretsy for Sonny, gathering information about Technoid that would help the pirates stay on top of their game. Mei was one of their best agents. Rose knew, without a shaddow of doubt, that Mei had not just casually walked into that store. She was sent, but by whom? D'Jok? Sonny? Whoever it was, Rose wanted to meet them, and she had a feeling that was where Mei was taking her.

«I'll take you to the best dresshop in all of Genesis» smiled Mei...

Mei knew what she talked about. The shop wasn't the most fashionable one, and certainly not the trendiest. But the dresses made it all worth while.

Rose looked at all of them. She loved it, she felt like cinderella. But, as she tried them on, Mei yawned.

«Rose, they are so plain and boring. You need something with a different touch».

Rose could have sworn that the storeowner and Mei exchanged glances. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her.

«I have just the thing. It's not for anyone to wear, but you my dear, you have the body to wear it. Come with me!»

The storeowner led her to the backroom. Gently, he pulled a bag from a cabinet.

«this dress is special, made for a special woman. She wore it only once, but, it's been preserved well. The owner wanted someone special to wear it».

«so, it's not yours to sell then?» Rose felt she was disappointed when she heard that.

«No, I can't sell it to you, but try it on anyways. I'm sure you will look gorgeous in it» smiled the storeowner.

Behind him, Mei nodded.

«you should. I've seen the dress, it's beyond gorgeous».

Rose knew it would be wrong to do so, but still, she took the dress and went to the dressingroom in the back.

Mei knew what she spoke of. The dress was beyond anything she had ever imagined. The red silk felt luxurious against her skin. With it, there was a pair of matching shoes. Rose looked at them. Her size.

«Come out, and let us see» she heard Mei calling.

Rose pulled the curtain aside.

«You look beautiful!» said Mei.

«Indeed, I've never seen anyone fit that dress better» said the storeowner.

«I can't wear it!» Rose said, and intended to get changed back to her clothes.

«Why not?» asked Mei.

«It's not for sale! I can't buy it, what would the owner say if I wrecked it?» Rose said.

«It's not for sale, because it's a gift!» a voice said from the dark.

Rose felt as if her heart skipped a beat. From the shaddows, came Sonny, Corso and D'Jok. Sonny removed the hood and the googles he would wear to protect himself from detection. Rose ran over to hug them.

«So good to see you, I've missed you!» Rose said as she hugged Sonny.

«We couldn't let you attend your first prom without wishing you well» Sonny said as he returned her hug.

«You got this for me?» Rose said, and looked at the dress.

She saw a shaddow fall in Sonny's eyes when she looked at it.

«I've had it for many years now Rose. It belonged to my late wife, D'Jok's mother. She planned to pass it on to our firstborn doughter, one we never had» he said silently.

The pain shone through in the words.

«Are you sure you want me to wear this, Sonny?» Rose asked silently.

Sonny had never made a secret of the fact that the death of his wife meant alot for his decission to join the pirates battle against Technoid.

«Yes, Rose. It would mean a lot to me, personally, if you would wear the dress that was worn by my wife on the night when I asked her to marry me» Sonny said.

«Then, I will wear it Sonny!»

Sonny smiled. But it seemed there were more surprises.

«The dress is beautiful, but, it needs something to complete it all, don't you think?» Sonny smiled.

Rose looked at him.

«What are you up to, Sonny?» she smiled.

«Nothing» he smiled, trying to look innocent.

«That, is not true» she laughed back.

Sonny pulled out a jewlery box from inside his pocket.

«Here, this one will look good in your hair» he smiled.

Rose opened the box.

«Sonny...it's beautyfull!»

It was a Rose, chissled in what looked like red gold, with golden edges.

«This Rose..» Sonny's voice was low.

«Remeber the day we hiked in the Shiloh mountains, when we visited the graveyard?» he asked.

Rose nodded. How could she forget? Sonny had shown her just what a gem the barron landscape was.

«yes, I do»

«You admired the roses there. You saw the beauty in them, how they represent life. This rose, reminds me of you, your beauty. So, this is from all three of us» he smiled.

Rose hugged them all again. Even D'Jok had snuck a kiss or two from Mei, and looked like a happy camper.

«But, there is another reason I came Rose» Sonny was all of a sudden serious.

«It has to do with Hami, doesn't it?» Rose asked.

Sonny nodded. Corso, the store owner, and D'Jok left the room, along with Mei.

«You know who Hami is, don't you Rose?» Sonny asked, sitting down across from her.

«Yes, Sonny. And I wish I loved him out of my heart, but..»

Sonny took her hands.

«It's a love born from fear, isn't it?» he stated.

Rose nodded.

«Rose, I want only the best for you, like I want for my son. In many ways, you are like a doughter to me. If Hami does anything to harm you, he will regret it».

Rose had to smile.

«Sonny, you're always so protective. But I see what you mean, especially in regards to the hate he harbours towards you!».

Sonny smiled.

«He's a Maddox, no doubt. Seems that hate is handed down through generations. Does he suspect your secret?» he asked.

«No, I never let him come to my appartement».

Sonny nodded.

«Good, but just in case, I'll have some of my men protect you. If you need me Rose, I'm never far..»

Rose hugged him. Corso peeked in.

«time's up Sonny, we got to move, unless you plan to make someone happy by making them filthy rich, if they capture you».

Sonny rose.

«Not today Corso,we got work to do!»

Rose said goodbye, and went to look for jewlery along with Mei..

He had done it again. Hami was drunk silly. Rose felt it as embarrassing to be around him. And the more he drank, the more he bragged about how he was gonna be the one to capture the infamous pirate chief.

«He can't go on hiding forever. Sooner or later, even Blackbones will make a mistake, and when he does, I'll be there to get him!»

«You're full of it Hami. Do you know how strong Sonny is? He eats the likes of you for breakfast!»

Rose had to choke a laughter. Sonny would probobly still prefeer his toasts and eggs over Hami, but she couldn't let them know how well she knew his breakfast habits.

«I heard that Sonny Blackbones is strong enough to crush a technodroid with the use of just one arm» said another.

«Those were the old models, he'd have to do some serious workouts to deal with todays models» said Hami.

Rose again were tempted to let them know that Sonny worked out at least twice a day, sometimes, even three times.

But, she had enough of him ignoring her. She was just decoration, he hadn't even commented the dress she was wearing, little less the rose in her hair.

«Hami, I have an early shift tomorrow, I have to go get some sleep» she said.

«I'm not done here, it would be impolite of me to leave my friends» he informed her.

Rose stood up.

«Then, I'll find my own way home».

She left the drunk heir to the Maddox empire with his friends.

A taxi brought her to her appartement. Once she locked in, Rose removed the dress, and hung it in it's protective bag. After removing her make up, and getting into her pajamas, she made herself a cup of tea.

«And here is Calleigh mystic with the scoop of a lifetime..»

Rose let out a scream, and her teacup crushed as it hit the floor...

_What upset Rose? And how will Hami react to her standing him up at the prom? Find out in the next chapter._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Collaps

Rose stared at the screen. It was hard to take in. Then, the tears took over. They had captured Sonny. Rose called Mei.

«Mei, have you heard?» she cried.

«I know Rose. Corso got injured too, but thanks to Sonny, he managed to escape» said Mei.

«Where is Corso now?» Rose wondered.

«At my house, in a secret room. D'Jok is frantic. Whitout Sonny, who knows what's gonna become of the pirates».

Rose knew she would hate the following day at work. How could she not. She would hear Hami and his friends celebrate Sonny's capture for sure. Rose knew, as much as she hated it, she needed to be with them. If anyone knew where Sonny had been taken after his capture, it would be Hami.

«Do we know anything on where they took Sonny?» she asked Mei.

«No, not yet Rose. Corso asked me to tell you that they need your help on this. Se if you can get the oh so charming boyfriend of yours, to say something» said Mei.

Rose knew Mei was being sarcastic about Hami. Mei couldn't stand him. D'Jok thought that was because Hami had made a move on Mei, and got turned down. To Mei, Hami was nothing but a clown. But sadly. Now, the clown was their best chance of finding Sonny.

«I'll do my best Mei, tell Corso I'll get on it» Rose hang up.

She then turned her attention to the screen. She had better find out as much as possible to help this situation..

«So, you finally got him?» Hami looked at his uncle.

«Yes, but no thanks to you, you big ape. If not for your stupid behaviour, Sonny could have been taken unharmed».

Hami's eyes narrowed as his uncle yelled at him. His ego was fraile.

«It's not my fault, I told him to stay where he was!»

Duke Maddox crouched down, beside the bed, where Sonny's unconcious body had been handcuffed on each side, to prevent him from fleeing.

«If you would have acted more matre Hami, Sonny wouldn't have this gaping hole in his chest right now» thundered the Duke.

«Your Excellency!»

«Yes, Hawthorne?».

«the medical team are done examining Blackbones. The shot hit close to his heart, and he's bleed a lot. He needs surgery»

«Why waste the energy? Let him die, then you're rid of him» Hami was still mad over the treatment he recieved, and didn't want to be pushed out on the sideline.

«Hami, Sonny was once a valued member of our siencestaff. The knowledge in his brain is worth ten times more than you. I'll make sure he stays alive, and is cared for. Now, all I need, is a nurse to tend to him after surgery..»

Hami saw a way to get back at Rose, for standing him up at the prom. Rose's dream was to become a licenced doctor. If she was tucked away, tending to Blackbones, she would loose too many classes, and have to do her first year over. With the wages that gave, she would come to realise that she needed a man to take care of her. And he, Hami, was going to be that man.

«Uncle, I might know someone that's perfect for the job»...

D'Jok was pasing back and forth. Corso was still asleep from the sleeping agent Mei had given him, after bandaging his fractured ribs. The blast had hit Corso hard. Thanks to Sonny's quick reaction, they had avoided getting killed. Off course, the blast had alerted others to their presence, and they had no choise but to flee. Because Sonny had carried Corso much of the way, it had slowed them conciderably. Technoid had cought up to them. Sonny had pushed Corso in front of him into the vents. But as he turned to see how far behind Technoid was, one of the droids fired the lasers. The impact was unavoidable, and Sonny was thrown several meters, before he landed. Even D'Jok had seen that his usually red jacket, had a wet spot, that grew, and got a deeper colour of red. Sonny had been hit in the chest. And he was bleeding heavily. D'Jok had been in a bind on what to do. But Sonny knew.

«D'Jok, get Corso out of here. Don't worry about me!» he yelled at his son.

«No Dad, I can't leave you here. You'll die!» had a panicking D'Jok shouted back.

«I'll pull through, get Corso to safety!»

«But...»

«No arguments D'Jok. That's an order!».

When Sonny took on the commanderboots, D'Jok knew better than to argue. He did as his father told him. But the further away he got the injured pirate, the thicker was the mist that clouded his eyes. He knew that Technoid would take his father away, to a most uncertain future. Now that Corso was safe, D'Jok could relax.

«It's all my fault!» he said.

«Don't speak rubish kid. Thank that little weasel Hami for this».

«Because of me, they got Dad».

Corso looked at him.

«D'Jok, you're beating yourself up over matters you were never in control of. Sonny knew this would happen».

«What? What do you mean?» D'Jok looked Corso.

Corso sighed. He had talked to Sonny, over and over on the matter. Still, it seemed that his friend, was trying to shield D'Jok from the realities of life, by not telling him of maya's predicitons.

«D'Jok» he said with a heavy sigh.

«Sonny told me, he spoke to Maya some time ago. She warned him to watch his back, because he would get captured. She couldn't tell him how the outcome would be, or if he would even survive».

D'Jok banged his hands against the wall.

«I have to talk to her, she's the only one that can tell me more about Dad».

«Negative D'Jok. You can't go outside now. It's enough that they got Sonny, or do you plan to throw in yourself as a bonus to them?» Corso asked.

«I..»

«D'Jok, understand this. Wheter I or anyone else thinks you're ready for this or not, in Sonny's absence, you're the new chief of the pirates. You were trained to take Sonny's place if something like this was to happen. Make him proud, D'Jok»...

Everyone was talking about it. And they all seemed happy that Sonny was taken. Rose learned, as soon as she got to the hospital, that Sonny had been moved from there, just hours ago, to a secret location.

«But, why was he here in the first place? Did he get injured?» she asked a friend who was just done at the nightshift.

«He was shot, a gaping hole in his chest, near his heart. Lady luck held her hand over him, that's for sure. He's lucky to have survived that. We held him here for a few hours, to make sure he was stabilized. Then, Duke maddox had his men take him away, probobly to some prison somewhere. I just hope they get someone to tend to him there, otherwise, he might still die».

Rose felt cold chills run up and down her spine, as she heard that. No wonder Hami looked so happy. He didn't even seem angry over the way she had left him at the prom.

«I was being inconciderate, and i had been drinking, you know, it makes me do stupid things, don't you Rose?» he had smirked.

She knew alright. Hami had asked her to meet him for lunch. Rose really didn't want to, but this time she had to. Maybe he had news on Sonny.

Hami was being the perfect gentleman when they ate. He didn't even bring the subject Sonny Blackbones up, and Rose felt like she did wise not to ask.

As she returned from her lunchbreak, her advisor asked her to come into his office.

«You wanted to see me, Sir?» Rose said as she entered the room.

«Yes Rose, have a seat, we have a proposition for you».

Then, Rose noticed that they were not alone. Duke Maddox sat in a chair oposite the advisor.

«Rose, this is His Excellency, Duke Maddox, head of Technoid» the advisor said.

Rose felt cold chills run down her spine, as she shook his hand. Somewhere deep inside, Rose recented the Duke. But, for Sonny's sake, she was willing to hear him out.

«What did you want to talk to me about, Your Excellency?» she asked.

Duke Maddox looked at her. The girl was still young, but there was something that told of an immense inner strenght.

She reminded him of someone. Duke Maddox shook the thought from his head.

«I suppose you've seen the news?» he asked.

Rose swallowed a lump. She could barely stand hearing of it. She had cried herself to sleep, worried sick for Sonny. Where had they taken him? And was he still alive?

«Off course, Your Excellency. Though, I try to stay neutral in the questions concerning the pirates» she replied politely.

«Well, the fact is, Sonny Blackbones got injured when he was captured. My idiotnephew, Hami, became a little triggerhappy, and shot him in the chest. Sonny can thank his lucky star the shot didn't kill him. But, the laser pierced his chest, close to his heart, He underwent surgery during the night, and has now been taken to a secure location to recover. I've been adviced that he needs a nurse to tend to him for some time. Hami recommended you. So, I am offering you the job, as Sonny Blackbones personal nurse»

Rose could hardly believe her luck. Here she was, worried sick for Sonny, and they offered her the chance to see him, on a daily basis.

«Naturally, if this draggs out, your schoolyear so far, will be wasted. You'll miss too many classes for us to make you pass. But, you'll have an advantage for the next year, Ms Wisely».

Still, the last name Sonny had chosen for her, sounded like a warning in her ears.

«I will accept the position, Your Excellency. I feel like giving of my time, and learn through experience» smiled Rose...

_Rose is being faced with new challenges down the road. Will Sonny approve of her being a nurse for him? And will D'Jok manage to pull together, for the sake of the pirates? Answers are to be revealed in the following chapters. So, once again, I'll ask, what do you guys really think of this? Do you enjoy reading this story or not? Since i got no rewiews, I assume someone has decided to «downvote» my stories. I hope this is not the case. Not all of us can write about the same charracters. I feel like I'm on thin ice when I try writing a non- Sonny B story. I've tried, but to me, I admit, I don't feel those stories were good enough to deserve a place in the fandom. They would need serious re-writing, and I sadly, don't have the time, or energy to do so. So, can I hope for a feedback or two?_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Angel in disguise

Rose carefully selected what she needed, before going to Duke Maddox Villa. She now knew where Sonny was held. What worried her, was the state of the injury in his chest. Rose felt bad about knowing it was Hami that had shot Sonny. She knew of the hatred, but there was still no way Hami could justify shooting Sonny.

Before she left, she called Mei.

«You are what?» all three of them exclaimed when she told them what she had been asked to do.

Corso was concerned.

«If this drags out, you'll miss an entire year, are you sure you want to do that? It will also be a financial setback..» he warned her.

Inspite of being in bad shape, Corso refused to be confined to the bed.

«What did they tell you about Sonny? Is he still alive?» asked Mei, worried for her father in law to be.

«The shot hit very close to his heart. He was lucky to survive that. They took him to hospital right after, and preformed an emergency surgery on him, they kept him there till he was stabilized, before they moved him to where he is now» Rose informed them.

«And where would his present location be?» asked Corso.

«Duke Maddox Villa. At least while he recovers from the wound. As soon as he's well enough, we need to free him, and get him to shiloh, where he'll be safe. They plan on moving him later, when he's well enough, to where, I don't know» Rose told them.

«This will be difficult to pull off. The Maddox Villa is safeguarded, with topnotch security programs. It's virtually impenetrable» said D'Jok thoughtfully.

Sonny had thought him a thing or two about security in technoid, and how to breach it. D'Jok recalled that the Maddox villa had been an example that was listed as difficult.

«Dad, this seems airtight» D'Jok had said, when Sonny had put the building plans before him and told him to find the weakness in the security grid. D'Jok scovered the plans, but couldn't see any weakpoints at all.

Sonny had crossed his arms, as he watched his son study the plan.

«And yet, there is loopholes» he said, chuckling, making D'Jok feel like a complete idiot.

«Easy for you to say, you do this on a daily basis» D'Jok pouted.

«Try looking one more time» Sonny encouraged his son.

«Where? I don't see anything!» D'Jok was frustrated.

«Have one more look D'Jok, what would strike you as odd in the grid?» said Sonny and gave his son a small hint, pointing to the far end of the plans.

D'Jok did as Sonny asked him.

A smile formed on his face, when he realised what Sonny meant.

«This?» he asked and pointed.

Sonny nodded with a smile.

«It looks innocent, but could cause a lot of trouble, especially for the duke» he smiled.

«Are you sure this is still in excistense Dad? You know, they could have found it?» D'Jok asked.

Sonny smiled as devious smile, as he lay a hand on his son's shoulder.

«D'Jok, I have my informers in the strangest of places. Trust me, that loophole is still there» he smiled.

«There is a way in, but it depends on where in the house Dad is held captive» D'Jok was thinking out loud.

Corso looked at him. It seemed the acting chief of the pirates was his fathers son afterall.

«Come up with a rescue plan D'Jok?`» he asked with a smirk.

«I'm working on it. For now, Rose, you move in and take care of Dad. We'll take care of the rest» he said with a smirk...

The room was in a fog before his eyes. He blinked several times, to clear the mist. Where was he?, then, as the mist cleared, he felt a sting in his chest. Sonny looked down. Bandages. Tightly wrapped round his chest. Slowly, it all came back to him. Corso that stood somewhere he shouldn't have, how he had launched himself forth and got both Corso and D'Jok out of the way. Corso's injury, how he had more or less, carried Corso to the nearest airvents out. It had slowed them, more than he believed. And that's why Technoid found them. Sonny remembered the hate in the eyes of the future head of Technoid. He had stood there, facing the young man, for just a second too long. Some said, it was a droid that hit him, Sonny knew it wasn't so. It was Hami Maddox. Sonny tried to sit up, but felt a jolt through his arms. He was chained, with handcuffs, to the bed. For a second, the panic was about to grip him, before his cool calmed him. He hadn't been dreaming. Maya's prediction had struck. They had captured him. Duke Maddox had to be overjoyed with that. But the wound, seemed to have made them keep him out of the prison as of far.

He looked up, as the sound of the door opening was heard. Duke Maddox entered the room.

«You're awake. Good. How do you feel, Sonny?» he asked.

Duke Maddox adressing him by firstname wasn't unusual. Sonny knew that most people were unaware of it, but there was a mutual respect between the head of Technoid and the head of the pirates.

«Duke Maddox. I am honored that you find it necessary to see to my wellbeing personally. I assume I have your staff to thank for the bandages. And I feel like Ive been shot!» Sonny responded.

Duke maddox nodded, as he sat down next to Sonny's bed.

Sonny tried to sit up, but the cuffs prevented him.

«Duke, I can't move from the bed, I'm too weak because of the wound. Why is it necessary to cuff me to the bed?» Sonny asked, raising his hands, making the cuffs visible.

«Sonny, both you and I know, that the minute your men learn of your whereabouts, they'll come for you. Even though you are weak, you would still try to escape, to get back to your own. And as a prisoner to Technoid, you are far too valuable. I can't let you go Sonny, as you have something I want».

Sonny shot him a glance.

«And what would it be that I have, that makes me so valuable?» he wanted to know.

«Don't play me for a fool Sonny. You posess knowledge, knowledge you got while working for technoid. And this knowledge is something i want».

«And if I refuse?» Sonny stared at the old Duke.

«You can't. You try, and you can be sure that, if you don't give us what we want willingly, we will take it, by way of force».

Sonny didn't like the sound of that.

«However..» The Duke Continued.

«Your injury was unfortunate. You've been examined by professionals, and the advice was, to get someone to look after you while you recover. I have hired a young freshman at the medical school to see to it that your needs are met».

«Really? I hope she's goodlooking».

«A real beauty Blackbones, concider yourself a lucky man»

Sonny nodded.

«And she will start when?» he asked, maybe he could persuade her into helping him?

«She's already on her way over here, you'll meet her shortly» Duke Maddox said, and rose from his seat..

Rose had reached the Maddox villa. Somewhere, behind the reinforced stonewalls, under heavy guarding, was Sonny. She hoped he wasn't too badly injured. As she approached the gate, she pulled out the id card given to her by Duke Maddox. A card that she knew D'Jok was gonna make a detailed copy off, so they could rescue Sonny.

«Your passcard is Valid, please step inside» said the droid, and moved aside. Rose walked quickly through the gate, and into the yard. She hoped she would be able to bring Sonny outdoors every now and then. Fresh air would do him good, and offer a chance for him to speak to his men. Still, she was nervous as she approached the house. Sonny was completely unprepared that she would be the one coming. She worried that the sheer surprise alone, would lead to Sonny, unwillingly, would reveal that they knew eachother. No, get a grip Rose, Sonny knows how to handle it» she kept telling herlsef. To walk up to the house, seemed to take forever.

Finally, she reached the door. A droid led her in.

«His Excellency, will see you now, Ms Wisely».

That name again. Rose could hear the warning Sonny had put in it. «Think wisely».

She needed to do just that. Think Wise. If not, there would be many suffering under her decission, Sonny most of all.

«Ok, take me there, if you please, Mr Robot!» she replied...

D'Jok studied the plans for the Maddox villa. The latest plans, he only had because of Micro- ice, who had contacted him when he realised what had happened.

«D'Jok, what do you intend to do? You can't just leave Sonny at their mercy!» his friend said.

«I don't know yet Micro- Ice, I am trying to figure it out».

«You better get a move on then» said Thran, who also participated in the conversation.

«Don't for get D'Jok, we all owe Sonny, you don't repay that kind of debt all at once» said Tia. Rocket stood behind her, and he too nodded to what his fiancee was saying.

«Tia is right D'Jok, if not for Sonny, none of us would be here. We all would have died of Fluxpoisoning, and we would not even have known it» he said.

«True, our parents didn't know that flux was what caused us all to get sick in our young years, and Ahito suffered from it longer than us».

«By the way, how is Ahito? I haven't heard from him in a long time» said D'Jok.

«Ahito has finished his medical exams, he's a fully licenced doctor, with absolutely no sparetime for his brother» pouted Thran.

«We got to find a way to meet guys, it's been so long since we all where gathered in the same place» asked Rocket.

«Sure, if someone can invent a way to make me invisible» said D'Jok.

«It's hard being wanted, isn't it?» asked Tia compassionately.

«I never thought it was like this, I always thought Dad was laying it down thick, to scare me» D'Jok replied.

It felt good being in contact with his old team again. All the original snowkids had used a program that Thran, their best webdesigner, had created, based on the pirates selfdeveloped stealth 6 program, to create a special line that could house them all, without being detected. Becoming wanted, just like his father, wasn't a part of his plan. When that had happened, Sonny had shown a side to his personality that had been unknown to D'Jok. D'Jok had only heard rumours in Shiloh, during his holidays there, that Sonny had a temper, and one did wise not to anger him. But he never believed it. Not untill the day, when he nearly got four members of his group killed. Sonny, Bennett, Stevens, Artie, Corso and Hawkins, had interviened before things went terribly wrong. As soon as Sonny learned his own son was responsible for the near bloodshed, it took both Bennett and Corso to hold him from chocking his own son.

«I thought better of you than this son, what was going through your head? Didn't you realise how dangerous this is?» he had thundered towards a frightened D'Jok, who curled up, when he saw the rage in his fathers face.

«Dad. I...»

«There is no excuse for this D'Jok, as much as I want to, I can't protect you this time. This was too close D'Jok. It seems the only way you will learn, is by harsh consequenses. I'll leave it up to Corso to decide the punishment!»

«Dad..»

«No, D'Jok. You got to grow up sometime, and now is as good a time as any».

D'Jok shook the memory. Sonny had been right, he had acted imature and childish. Corso had made him realise that, the way he got punished. D'Jok knew that corporal punishment wasn used, but not often. Sonny had left it to Corso. So D'Jok knew, his father would never raise his hand against him. Even if the wounds hurt after Corso used the belt, D'Jok knew, Sonny couldn't have made himself do this.

«Well, you really get to live the life as a pirate» said Micro- Ice.

From the background, he could tell that his friend was on alert for trouble.

«Be careful,all of you. I'll get back to you, as soon as I got something to tell» D'Jok ended the transmission.

Corso looked at him.

«Use all the help you can get D'Jok, good thing you got your friends» he said.

D'Jok sighed.

«I just hope I can measure up..»

«Measure up to whom, D'Jok? Sonny? Be who you are D'Jok. Sonny has his ways of doing things, you don't need to copy everything he does».

D'Jok looked down.

«I know, but, operating solo, without his guidance...»

«D'Jok..»

Corso lay a hand on his shoulder.

«Sonny is laying the best grounds for you to run this organization. You know, one day, neither he or I will be around. It will be you, and your friends, fighting for the stabillity of the galaxy»

«And if we fail to save him?» D'Jok stared intensely at Corso.

«Then, D'Jok, the galaxy faces a greater danger than we ever thought possible»...

She was here. Behind this door, lay the most wanted man in the galaxy. She knew he was wounded, that alone was the reason she was here. Rose looked at her uniform. Off course, it carried Technoid's marks. It made her feel like she was the property of the firm. How would Sonny take this? She looked forwards to seeing him. Duke maddox hadn't bothered to follow her to the room. He had given her the necessary keycards to come and go as she pleased while she was at his house. Rose had gone to her room , wich was down the hall from Sonny's, and changed. Rose took a deep breath. Here it was, the moment of truth. Rose secretly begged that Sonny would remain calm and not expose them. But she knew, he's question her. He would demand answers. She needed to give them to him as soon as possible. Slowly, the door slid open.

He was asleep. Rose could see his hands was cuffed to the bed, with a long chain between, to allow him some movement. As he wasn't wearing any clothes, she could see that his chest was bandaged. He seemed to rest easy, but she knew, it wasn't likely to be like that. Carefully, she approached the bed. Seeing him, made her realise just how close they all had come to loose him. She gently sat down on the side of his bed. Sonny's breath told her that he was sleeping deep. Gently, she let her hand touch his forehead. The minute she did that, she felt a hand grabbed hold of her wrist. She screamed, when she turned, she stared right into Sonny's shocked hazels.

«Rose?»...

_Well, what will Sonny think of this? And what did Corso's ominous words to D'Jok mean? What is D'Jok planning to do, to rescue his father? And what roles do the other snowkids play in this story? All of that, and more to come, keep reading. I would so love a rewiew..._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Sonny

Rose couldn't hide the tears. Sonny had somehow managed to sit himself up.

'Sonny!' Rose lay her arms around his neck, and rested her face to his chest.

Sonny said nothing, he just gently lay his strong arms,protectively around her. Slowly, he rocked her back and forth, as he always did when she had the glimpses of her past, or was scared in anyway. He knew she felt safe this way.

'Sh, it's all ok, I got you, you're safe' he whispered.

Rose couldn't stop sobbing. She held him as tight as she dared, to avoid causing him pain. She had been so worried for him, that they had hurt him more, possibly even killed him. To lay her hands around him, and hug him, made her feel safe, inspite of the cuffs that was strapped around Sonny's wrists, and chained him to the bed.

'Oh Sonny, what have they done to you?' she whispered.

Sonny gently whiped a tear from the corner of her eye, with his hand.

' I'm alive Rose, it takes more than a lasershot in the chest to get rid of me' he smiled.

Rose let her eyes slide down his chest. The bandages was professionally done, but seemed too tight.

'The bandages, they're a bit tightly wrapped, right?' she asked compassionately.

Sonny bit his teeths as he let go, and carefully leaned backwards. When he lay down, she saw tiny drops of sweat on his forehead.

'Rose..' Sonny's voice sounded strained, as if he were in great pain.

'why are you here? Don't tell me they figured out who you are?' he whispered.

'No, Sonny. They don't know. Duke Maddox was looking for a nurse for you, as you need to be cared for for some time. And my oh so loveable Hami, suggested me for the job as your nurse, so here I am' she said, sitting down at the chair beside his bed.

'Rose..this is a fulltime job, you'll miss classes, and practicetime..the entire schoolyear will be wasted' Sonny said concerned.

'I know, this is how Hami gets back at me, for leaving him at the prom' Rose said, as she made a cloth to whipe the sweat of Sonny's forehead. Sonny frowned when she told him this.

' You left Hami Maddox at the prom, and went home?' he asked.

'Yes, he didn't care much about me, he was more into hanging with his friends and getting drunk' said Rose.

' I see' Sonny nodded.

Now, things were getting clearer. He, D'Jok and Corso had been there, hiding in the airvents, looking after Rose. D'Jok didn't trust Hami for a second, and neither did anyone else. The rumours was that Hami put out contracts on several pirates, and even had hired bounty hunters to get D'Jok and Sonny. D'Jok had been furious when he learned this.

' I don't believe this! I'm supposed to go look over my back all the time now, incase I'm being followed?' he had shouted as he slammed his coffecup in the floor.

' D'Jok, welcome to piratelife, it's this way for all of us' growled Corso.

Sonny still suspected that his friend found his son's behaviour quite amusing.

'D'Jok, we all have to be careful, at all times. It's no safer here in shiloh than anywhere else. A bounty hunter could be anyone, the merchant at the corner of the market, could be a bounty hunter, and you wouldn't even know' he said

'And your point is Dad?' D'Jok said, and noticed his fathers glare as he forgot where he was.

' I mean, Sonny?' he corrected himself.

Sonny knew that not being able to call him dad was frustrating to D'Jok, but aboard the Black Manta, he had to demand the same respect from his son as he did everyone else.

'My point is D'Jok, even though you have improved, you are still being reckless, and not paying the necessary attention to your surroundings, keep this up, and sooner or later, no matter what we do to prevent it, you will get captured. And what kind of a barganing chip do you think your life would be for Technoid?' he asked.

D'Jok grew pale as the reality on his fathers words hit him.

' you mean, they could use me to get to you?' he asked.

Sonny just nodded.

' You're learning D'Jok, but you still cause me to worry. You're my only son, and Technoid knows this. The price on my head is growing, and so will yours. I'm used to being wanted, I've been trained as a pirate for decades now, whereas you, are still young. You don't have the experience yet, to deal with matters solo. So, to make sure you do, Corso and I will join forces in training you. Remember, you are the future leader of the pirates, simply because you're my son. But, if you're unfit for the job, I would have to choose someone else to take my place when time comes' Sonny said.

Corso nodded.

'Remember D'Jok, the day will come, when Technoid will sucessfully capture Sonny'.said Corso, before having another sip of his coffe.

' technoid? Capture Sonny? no way, that will never happen!' D'Jok shook his head.

Sonny turned his back on Corso and his son.

'D'Jok, it will happen, and soon. There was a reason Maya asked me to bring you to Shiloh..'

'Yes, my idiotic mistake, with the near deaths of my team' said D'Jok.

Sonny turned to face them.

' partly, but not entirely. Maya had seen me getting captured D'Jok. She didn't have a lot of details to offer, but told me to be prepared. I find her visions reliable, enough to be were taken here, because Maya feared they would get you too, if we didn't' he said.

D'Jok was silent.

' I...didn't know' he stoddered.

'Well, it's a fact of life kid, deal with it!' said Corso.

It had lead to a very meak D'Jok participating in the surveilance operation that night.

Corso had been close to the vent, with Sonny in the middle, and D'Jok in the back.

'She seemes bored Sonny, and the maddox kid is only into his friends, drunk as a skunk' Corso reported.

Sonny was grinding teeths.

' Hami is smarter than this. He could be on to something. Keep your eyes on her Corso, at any sign of trouble, we get her out of there' Sonny ordered.

He worried that Hami Maddox knew Rose's secret. Rose was good at keeping secrets, he knew that, but Hami Maddox was known for his charm. Rose had more or less been raised by the pirates, as she remembered nothing of her past. Rose was just the kind of girl, that was likely to fall for his charm. Sonny had a hard time, even admitting it to himself, but when it came to Rose and D'Jok, he was overprotective. Because he cared for them. If either of them was lost, it would leave a gaping hole in his heart.

' Rose is upset Sonny, she's getting ready to leave!' reported Corso.

' Is Hami getting up to follow her?' Sonny asked.

'No, she is leaving alone, no, he's getting up' Corso reported.

'Follow him, he won't hurt her' Sonny said.

The pirates followed her from a distance, and saw her leave safely in a taxi.

'That would leave the situation under control, let's get out of the went' said Corso.

That had been the first mistake. The priates thought themselves unseen, and made their way towards the mainentrance.

'Hold it! Present your cards'

A technoid robot.

Sonny tried to stay behind Corso and D'Jok, but the robot had already scanned him.

'Alert, Alert, Sonny Blackbones detected, proceed to arrest'.

'Run Sonny, we'll cover you!' shouted Corso and opened fire.

Sonny was about to do just that, when a small bomb went of, and threw Corso several meters.

'Corso!' Sonny ran over to him, as D'Jok opened fire.

'Dad, get Corso, and run!' D'Jok shouted.

Sonny carefully examined Corso.

' Corso, can you run?' he asked concerned.

'No, but get out of here Sonny, they can't get you' Corso said, clearly pained.

Without a word, Sonny lifted Corso to his shoulder, and ran, towards the vents they had just left.

D'Jok followed right behind him, after disabling the robot. But Sonny knew, where there was one droid, there would be more. He didn't know where they were, just that they would come.

All too soon, they heard the droids approaching.

'Dad, we're moving too slow, they'll catch up with us' whispered D'Jok.

Sonny looked for an entrypoint, and found it.

'D'Jok, take Corso and get out of here!'

'Dad, you can't stay here!' D'Jok was terrified.

'I'll follow, don't worry about me son, just get Corso to safety. Now!' Sonny said.

D'Jok was inside the vent, and had started pulling Corso, when Sonny looked over his shoulder. He was about to climb in, when he heard a voice behind him.

'Not so fast, Sonny Blackbones, you're not going anywhere!'

Before Sonny could respond to the command, he was thrown across the room.

He hit the wall behind him hard. Sonny felt a stinging pain in his chest. He looked down. Blood. He had been shot, by Hami Maddox. Maya's prediciton was becoming a reality...

Sonny was pulled back to the here and now. Rose wasn't aware of what had happened, she had left the scene of the crime when it all happened. Sonny had been concious long enough for the interns that heard the shots, to come and find them. Some of Hami's friends had taken his weapon, whilst others tended to him.

'It's deep, and bleeding. Hami, you may have killed him, it looks like the blood is coming from his heart!' said a girl, two of the medical students sat down beside him, and pulled his jacket and sweater of of him, to have a closer look.

'Call the paramedics, tell them it's a critically injured male, not who he is, and tell them to get here on the double!' said one of the young interns, who examined Sonny's chest.

'Who is he?' asked a young female intern.

' He's the most wanted man in the galaxy. He is Sonny blackbones, the chief of the pirates'

Then, the bloodloss made him go unconcoious...

Rose looked at him.

'The wound hurts, doesn't it?' she asked.

Sonny could only nodd. Rose got of the chair and made him a cup with a hot liquid.

'Dame Simbai gave me these, they will speed up the healing, and ease your pain' she smiled.

Sonny smiled, as he swallowed the pill that Rose gave him.

'you'll feel sleepy, and you need to rest Sonny. This pill will let you. I only came by to let you know who your nurse is' Rose said, as she gently took the waterglas from him, and placed it on the nightstand.

' you sleep Sonny. You thought me the pirates ways. I'll be here to guard you. I'll keep you safe, like you've done for me' Rose whispered, as Sonny's ees closed and he drifted into the land of dreams...

_Short chapter this time, but a necessary one, to shed light on what caused Sonny's capture, and to lay grounds for the future dialoge and plot of the story. I'd like to know what do you readers think of my charracter, Hami Maddox. It's really a first time for me to create my own charracters, so I could use the guidance of others on this. What do you think of his personality? Does he pose a threat to Rose, or to Sonny, or perhaps even his own uncle? I'd love for you guys to pm me with ideas for charratertraits to Hami. He is evil, that's about all I have made a decsission on. Rose is still the heroinne of this story alongside with D'Jok, who will become a more active participant later in the story. I also plan on offering a certain insight into things of the past vs today when it comes to Duke Maddox and Sonny too, hopefully revealing Duke Maddox true plans for our dear hero. And will Sonny escape? Remains to be seen. A rewiew or pm would really make my day._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Undercover

He watched Hami on the front row. How Corso had pulled off, putting him and Artie in Hami's class, D'Jok didn't know. There were many things that Sonny and Corso did, that he didn't understand. There was a silent communication between Sonny and Corso on matters. Corso knew how Sonny would think, and could therefore adapt to things. To teach D'Jok some skills, he sent D'Jok to survey Hami. But just as D'Jok thought he would undertake a solo mission, Corso ruined it.

' you're not ready to go solo yet, D'Jok. I'll put Artie on this with you. Work in teams. Artie is left in command, what he says, you'll do, capishe?' Corso stared at him while saying this.

'Is it really necessary to survey Hami Maddox? I mean, we already know where Dad is' D'Jok wondered.

Corso sighed.

'Just because we know where Sonny is held, it doesn't make it much safer for him, does it?' he asked.

' Rose is there, she won't let anyone hurt him' D'Jok replied.

'D'Jok, as fond as we all are of Rose, she might not be sufficient to offer the necessary protection for Sonny. Remember, she can't reveal her true identity. Being too close with Sonny, might destroy both her and Sonny' Corso said.

'It still doesn't explain why you want us to track Hami' said D'Jok.

As acting chief of the pirates, D'Jok hated being told what to do. It was all too evident that the pirates had a hard time trusting him. He tried to pay attention to the teacher. But she was talking in terms that bored him, he felt like falling asleep.

'Hey, wake up, sleepyhead!' said Artie and pushed him hard in the shoulder.

'Is there a problem?' asked the teacher and adressed the two newbies.

'No, just my buddy here, falling asleep. Too much clubbing' Artie smiled sheepishly.

The teacher sent them a long look.

Hami turned slightly to look at them. He needed to get some new buddies in his gang, these two seemed good. But he needed to check them. He didn't want pirates in the group.

At recess, he called on one of his friends.

'Those two new guys in class..' he said thoughtfully

' neh, just to rich kids, with too much sparetime on their hands, no big deal' said one of his friends.

'I want you to run a background check on them. Find out what their names are, and then get back to me. If these two are good, we might just have a few extras for the party'.

'What party?' one of his friends asked.

'oh, you'll see' smiled Hami...

'you did what?' Corso could not believe what D'Jok told him.

' trust me, it's the best way to get close to Hami Maddox' D'Jok defended his point of wiew.

'Maybe so, D'Jok, but you are to discuss matters such as these before you go on and accept, Artie why didn't you sto him?'Corso growled, and looked at the younger pirate.

'Have you ever heard the blabbermouth on D'Jok when he gets started? I couldn't get through for a second' exclaimed a frustrated Artie.

'And anyways, D'Jok acts more like a kid from school than me anyways. I'm a pirate, not a babysitter'

inspite of the seriousness, Corso couldn't restrain a laugh.

' I'll have to find a way to talk to sonny about this, or he'll skin me alive when he gets back'

' Have we heard from Rose yet?' asked D'Jok.

Corso was about to reply, when his transmitter beeped. Speak of the devil, it was Rose calling.

' I'm putting you through for all of us to hear' he said, and directed the call to the speakersystem.

'Rose, how's my father?' D'Jok asked before anyone else had a chance to speak.

' Relax D'Jok. Sonny's fine, I just came from his room now' she smiled.

' The wound in his chest?' Corso asked

' is healing fine. But what worries me, is that he is still weak. I've given him some of the herbs that Dame Simbai gave me, but it doesn't seem to strenghten him as it should' Rose said concerned.

' Are they medicating him in any way?' Bennett asked, searching for a cause as to why Sonny would be so weak still. Rose had tended to him, on a daily basis for nearly four weeks now, by now, Sonny should be growing stronger.

' No, I'm in charge of that. I've kept him of those things, to have him stay sharp, good news is, they removed the cuffs, and allow him out of bed now, but they're still keeping track of where he is at all time' Rose informed them.

'How?' asked Artie.

' They strapped somekind of device to his arm, wich tracks his every move. Sonny is still working on maping out just how badly they can track him. And Corso, he wants to talk to you as soon as possible' Rose told them.

' I need to speak to him too, so we'll work out a way. Can the signal be scrambled?' Corso wanted to know.

' He can't leave the garden of the Maddox villa, that's the limit they set on the device' Rose informed.

Corso looked closely at her. Rose seemed tired.

' Are you sitting watch by Sonny's bedside all night?' he asked

' No, it's just that..Hami is staying here, and he talks of two new friends in his gang' Rose said

' You mean numbnuts and peabrain?' Corso shot D'Jok an evil glare.

Rose picked up on it.

'Oh no, Sonny is not going to be happy when he learns of this' she said.

' He'll be furious by the time I tell him what the little numbnut that's his son, has been up to' mumbled Corso.

' This sounds bad' said Rose concerned when Corso told her what was going on.

'Stall the two idiots untill I get a chance to speak to Sonny about things' Rose said.

'Good luck on that' mumbled Corso...

Sonny frowned when Rose told him what Corso had said. He finished his lunch, wich Rose had carefully prepared for him.

But his thoughts seemed miles away.

' I agree that we need someone to keep an eye on Hami, but D'Jok would hardly be my first choise. Artie and Bennett is better trained' he thought out loud.

Rose prepared to change the bandages on the wound. The initial stitches had been removed last week, and she was eager to see if Sonny was healing as she hoped he was. Rose checked that she had everything she needed. Sonny pushed his plate aside when he saw what she was doing.

' It's time again, huh?' he smiled.

Rose smiled, as she cut the bandages off with a pair of scissors. Sonny still had a way to go before he was completely healed, but a couple of more days, and the pirates should be able to pick him up, and bring him to safety.

She noticed how Sonny bit his lip as she removed the inner dressings on the wound.

' It will be over soon' she promised, and gently cleaned the wound.

Both of them were so busy that they didn't notice the door open.

' Aah, I see that the friendship is evolving'

Rose was angry when she turned towards Hami.

'And just what is that supposed to mean, Hami?'

Hami shrugged, but remained calm and compulsed. Sonny could feel how he grew tense in the presence of the powerhungry young man, his future enemy, The pirates future enemy.

' I can't recall having told you it was ok for you to come in' he said to the young man, who leaned nonchalantly at the door.

' I guess you didn't hear me knocking, Blackbones, it seemed you were...busy'

Sonny didn't like the sound of Hami's words.

' Care to explain?' he asked as politely as he could bring himself to be

' Oh come now, Blackbones. We both know that young Rose here is a beautiful woman'

Sonny was grinding teeths. If the kid was saying what it sounded like..

'Your point is, Hami?' Rose asked.

She too cought on to Hami's insult.

' Rose, it's no shame falling for a pirate, especially the chief of the pirates, all girls are attrackted to men with power'

'Get..out!' Sonny hissed through his teeths.

'Admit it blackbones, who's to stand in your way? As a prisoner, you don't have any contact with your men, you don't know wheter they're captured, now that they've lost their leader..' Hami smirked.

Sonny smiled a devious smile.

' Coming from the little boy that is more into his friends than the beautiful girl who sat at his side at the recent prom, causing her to leave in embarrassment, I wouldn't feel worried at all. The pirates don't have a leader? That was new, as I could think of at least four of my closest men to take my place in my absence'.

The words had the desired effect. Hami grew pale from rage.

' I ought to kill you, Blackbones!'

Sonny had silently moved into a defense position.

' Are you sure you're man enough for that, Maddox?' he asked, and made a motion with his hand, to have Hami launch at him.

Hami, blinded by rage, charged at Sonny.

' Sonny, look out, you're still injured!' yelled Rose.

The scene on the floor was strange. Hami ran against Sonny, time and time over, blinded by rage. Sonny only made sure to step aside, to avoid the attacks. Finally, he had enough of it. He reached out and grabbed Hami's arms.

'Calm down Boy, and we'll talk, if not, I'll have your uncle remove you from this room this instant!' Sonny said.

' you just want her to yourself, don't you Blackbones? You probobly planned on doing her one more time, since she's been too tired to date me lately!'

Sonny stared at the young Maddox. Then, he laughed.

' Boy, I may be guilty of many charges, but taking Rose to bed and behaving like a horny teen, is not one of them'

'Yeah right, I see the way you look at her' Hami hissed.

Sonny pushed him backwards.

'Sober up Boy, then we'll talk man to man, but I don't debate with drunks'

Hami left the room.

'you'll pay for this Blackbones!' he swore as he walked out the door.

Rose looked at Sonny.

' thank you Sonny'

Sonny nodded.

' But, now I worry even more for you. Hami will stay true to his word' Rose said anxiously.

Sonny knew she was right.

' We'll cross that bridge when we get there' he said, and pulled Rose into a warm embrace...

Hami was steaming. Blackbones had ridiculed him in front of Rose. Damn Blackbones. He could just picture Rose kissing the pirate chief, and possibly go even further. Hami knew she had sidelined him, and he hated it. No one said no to Hami Maddox, future heir to Technoid. He needed to find a way to rid himself of the pirate chief. Also, get back at Rose. There had to be something he could use against her. A sly smile formed on Hami's lips. There was only one place where Rose could hide things she didn't want the world to know of. Her appartement. Her friendship with Sonny had developed too fast. Perhaps she already knew him, maybe he was already her lover. Hami knew that young girls like Rose could fall for priates like Sonny. As far as he knew, Sonny Blackbones was not in any relationship with anyone, at least not one that was known. But who knew what his life was like in Shiloh? For all they knew, Sonny could be married with wife and kids. The only offspring of Sonny's that was known, was D'Jok, and he too had been reloacted to Shiloh. It didn't mean that Sonny Blackbones didn't have a secret life. Hami decided to investigate. He had infiltrators in Shiloh, it was time to make them work for their pay, whereas he, was going to pay Rose's appartement a little visit..

Now it was official. Corso didn't like this one bit, neither did Sonny, but they had to have the boys play it all out to avoid suspicion. Corso had ground his teeths hard, when he finally got to speak to Sonny, and found out about the insult he had thrown at Sonny and Rose.

' If he knew you like I do Sonny, he would know that you'd rather give up your own life, than force yourself on a woman, young or old' Corso said.

Sonny agreed. But Hami had been too happy these days. Somethings was wrong, he could feel it.

'Have D'Jok and Artie pay extra attention to Hami these days, he's up to something' Sonny said, before he cut the transmission. No need of staying outside for too long at the time. It also hurt the wound, and made if difficult for him to breathe properly.

Back inside, the two pirates, sat down for a game of chess. Rose enjoyed playing this game with Sonny as an oponent. Forseeing his moves proved difficult, she needed to stay sharp all the time.

But none of them had any idea of the things that was going to happen this night. Nor the effects it would have on their situation...

_The next chapter will be rated a bit higher than this, because it will turn violent. But as you can hear, there is darkness coming. _


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Critical

Sonny was sweating as he was doing some push- ups on the bedroom floor. Rose had told him not to wear himself out, but it had been months in bed and hardly moving around at all. One could hardly blame him for getting restless. He was nearly back to his full strenght by now, and the wound had nearly healed. Rose had been present the last time the doctor came to examine him. She had seen how uncomfortable it made him, to remove his clothes and expose his torso. Rose, of all, knew how Sonny was very cautious of people he didn't know, making physical contact with him. She knew he would get stressed by that. She would stay with him, to help him relax.

There, as he had reached the preset number of push up, Sonny quickly shifted, and lay down on his back, to do sit ups. He would do first straight ones, then the left side, and the right. The wound wasn't even bothering him anymore. It had formed a crust and healed nicely. Rose had made sure it was even. Sonny had to admit, he enjoyed the treatment. Lately, Rose had managed to put in some massage too, to rid him of the tension in his arms and shoulders. Other times, Sonny helped her with the studies. Sure, he was no medical doctor, but he had earned his degree as professor in the Technoid program, and many of the labtechnical things Rose needed to do, he had preformed when he was working on his masters. Sonny helped her walk through, by explaining the process. It made the excersises far more easy. Even the tests, he had managed to make her get through, by the help of Artie and D'Jok, who had tapped into the schools database. Sonny told the men to make sure Roses testresults were valid and could be used. Ahito had come to their aid. As a licenced doctor, he had checked Rose's answers, and could validate the tests. The only problem that remained, was to make sure Rose was allowed back into her class. She had worked far harder than most students to get here, and Sonny had no intentions of letting her hard work be for nothing. Sure, it would suit Hami if she had to do her freshman year over, but Sonny had planned to make sure she was being guarded, so she would stay safe at all time. Not all the pirates were known faces to Technoid, even the pirates grew as an organization, and Sonny had already decided on a few men for the task. He just needed to get back to his men and resume his duty as the chief of the pirates first. Once he was done with the sit ups, it was time for the mental balance. Sonny positioned himself on the floor, crossed his legs, and rested his arms, as he calmly breathed in the nose and out the mouth with closed eyes. His lung wasn't completely healed, but good enough. When he meditated, Sonny went through the last months, and all it's had taken all of his control to restrain himself from jumping the minute he felt the cold stethoscope of the doctors' to his skin during the last examination he had been subjected to. Rose had stood beside him, and gently squeezed his arm.

'Relax Sonny, it'll be over soon' she had said in a calm voice.

It helped. He had relaxed more, and gotten through the examination.

The doctor had been worried that the wound had damaged his lung severely. Sonny knew there was still damage, but it would take too long to wait for it to heal. Surgery was a way out of it, but at the time, he had spent enough hours in bed. A knock on the door was heard. Sonny opened his eyes and rose from the floor, and opened it.

'Duke Maddox, this was a surprise' said the pirate chief as he let him in.

Suspicion rose the minute he saw the droids behind him. Unwillingly, Sonny took several steps back. Clearly, this was no pleasure visit, and he mentally prepared himself for the worst.

Duke Maddox noticed his reaction, no need playing games, he could tell Sonny knew something was up. The testresults had been clear. It was time for technoid to claim their lost scientist back.

' Sonny, It's 've healed enough for Techoid to proceed to part two of our plans for you' he said.

Sonny kept his distance. He had already three escaperoutes ready, the question was wich would be best suited for his damaged lung. Sonny knew he would have a handicap this time. And he also needed to inform Rose of this.

' And what plan would that be, Duke?' he asked.

'You'll be taken to a new location Sonny, while we reprogram you, to fit Technoid's needs'.

He had expected it to come, but had hoped for more time. Ok, he just had to make the best out of what he had then.

Rose had given him a device that Corso had called an panic button. Sonny had made sure to strap it to his arm, one never knew when something like that could come in handy. The device that belonged to Technoid, oh, well, he would make use of that too, to make sure to run them in circles for a little while. Sonny managed to trigger the panic button unseen.

'Sorry Duke, but not today, I have other things I want to do first' Sonny said as he continued to back into the middle of the room.

'You leave me with no choise then, Sonny..'

'You know I can't Duke, I got others depending on me' Sonny said.

'Very Well then, I got no choise left. Sieze him!' Duke Maddox ordered and pointed at Sonny.

What happened was a classic example of how brains would always defeat microchips.

Two droids tried to grab hold of Sonny's arms. That was fatal for them. Sonny yanked one of the droids hard backwards to smash into the wall behind him, before the twin followed.

' You never learn, do you?' he smiled, before he swung himself around and kicked a third droid out of the way, and ran down the corridor.

' Stop him!' Yelled Duke Maddox somewhere behind him.

Sonny knew the tracking device of Technoid's would trap him, so he quickly removed it. He looked for a place to dump it, to throw them of his track, he found a robotcat wandering the house.

' Good kitty, you may just save my life today' he smiled, as he strapped the device around it's neck. He put the robot cat back on the floor, and watched it run away. A smile played on the pirate chief's face. Then, he found the cover of the air vents, he slowly crawled in, and placed the barrs back. No need making things easy for Technoid.

Good thing, he had memorized the airvents in the house. It would by him some time, untill Corso and the others could come to aid him.

Despite the serious situation, a smile formed on the pirate chief's face.

Nothing made you feel more alive than running from Technoid every now and then...

'What is that?' asked D'Jok as the alarms was beeping aboard Black Manta.

Corso was getting ready to leave, despite the situation, he was smiling.

' Get ready D'Jok, it's just Sonny asking for a ride home!'

The comment did not pass unnoticed.

The minute he had said that, Corso could hear the pirates cheer.

Even D'Jok couldn't hold back a smile.

'Thank heavens, these last months made me realise I'm not ready to be the pirates leader yet' he smiled.

'Cheer up D'Jok. You've grown with the task. I think you learn better by practice. Sonny will be very pleased with you'

D'Jok smiled.

'Mind if I join the welcoming comitee?' he asked.

'Hop in, there's room for you' laughed Corso, and then placed a hand to D'Jok's shoulder.

Corso had never done that before, D'Jok knew he had changed, into a better person, a better pirate. He looked forwards to seeing Sonny again.

'Only one is missing, and our entire family is whole again' he said.

Corso's eyes narrowed.

'So far, Rose has been safe, inspite of his wound, Sonny has protected her. We don't know wheter she missed too many classes to continue her schoolyear. If so, we'll take care of things. If not, we need someone undercover to protect her against Hami'.

D'Jok nodded.

'I'll do it, solo, if you and Dad are willing to trust me on this'

Corso looked at him for a long while.

'D'Jok, it's dangerous. If you make an error, it could come at the price of your life, and Rose's. I want to trust you kid, but Sonny has the final word'.

D'Jok nodded.

'Let's talk to him, and hear what he thinks'

But things were about to change quick. Artie peeked at D'Jok.

'D'Jok, there's been called a meeting with Hami's gang, in the cellars of the Maddox villa'

D'Jok nodded.

'D'Jok. We'll drop you off in a safe distance, before we pick up Sonny, and bring him to safety' said Corso with a smile.

Infact, it was the first time he had smiled since Sonny was taken.

'You really look forwards to this, don't you?' smiled D'Jok.

'D'Jok, with the bond Sonny and I share, there's been something missing. As soon as he's safely onboard, I'll be able to get some sleep again'

D'Jok nodded agreeingly.

'Make sure Rose learns of this too. I doubt they'll tell her, and she needs know Dad's safe and sound' he said.

'Will do D'Jok, as soon as he is safe' Corso promised.

The three men got into a light ship, and took off for the villa...

Rose was upset. No one had told her what was going to happen. She had been slipped an envelope, telling her that Sonny would be transported elsewhere, for further treatment. Her job at the Maddox Villa was done. They didn't even let her say goodbye. Had they figured them out, somehow found that they had been too close? There was so many questions she had no answer to.

Rose worried for Sonny. Where was he now? Had they hurt him further? She knew he had recovered fast for the type of injury he had, well, at least as much as could be expected. The shot had damaged the pleura, wich would surely slow him down for some time. What worried her, was the words, 'further treatment'. Maybe she hadn't studied medicin for long, but Sonny was in no need of that. The fact that they were also transporting him elsewhere, suggested that they were planning their next move, forcing him back into the company. Rose was at the verge of tears. If they started on something like that, there would be no one that could save him. They would loose him on a permanent basis. Rose feared they would only have the memories to remember him by. To think of the possibillity that he would not return as the Sonny they knew..Rose felt like crying. She owed her life to him, if he had not interviened that day she crash landed.. Rose knew she had to find out more. Did the pirates know what had happended? If they were to rescue him, they needed to act now!

Rose made a call to Mei.

'Calm yourself Rose. I'm sure Sonny's fine. Technoid won't be able to hurt him. He's too clever' the brunette tried to calm her with.

Rose then told her of the letter she had recieved.

'I wasn't even allowed to say farewell to him. It could mean that they've already moved him' she said.

Mei understood her concern.

'Rose, listen, pack what you need for a day out. I'm meeting Tia downtown, at the pirates bar. Come join us there. Maybe we'll learn news of Sonny then?'

'I'll join you Mei, see you in half an hour' Rose said before she hung up.

Rose had packed her stuff, to go meet with Mei and Tia. There was no need going back to school. She had been away for too long. She wouldn't pass, even if she did continue. Hami had gotten back at her for the prom. But, Rose still feared there was more to come...

'You're not eating, is something wrong?' asked Mei, and gave her a worried look.

Tia remained silent, but she too looked at Rose.

'Not really, I'm just very worried for Sonny' she told her two friends.

'Why? I would think Sonny can take care of himself from now on' said Tia

Mei nodded. She placed a hand to her shoulder.

'Rose, you did all you could for him. Sonny will get out of this, you know, he allways pull through' Mei said.

The three girls giggled when they thought of this saying. There was no other saying that defined Sonny Blackbones more.

Even in the tightest of situations, Sonny would manage to get himself, and his men out safely.

' D'Jok had a plan for a rescue attempt, I just hope he knows his way around the place where they'll be fighting' said Mei worried.

Now, Rose could return the favour.

'He'll be fine Mei, D'Jok is his fathers son. Sonny had him trained good, and in his absence, Corso took over. Don't you worry' she smiled.

Mei had to laugh.

' We got to stop worrying girls, we'll get wrinkles' she said.

The three girls bursted into a spontaneous laughter, as one of the younger pirates served them a cold drink.

The girls were safe in Sonny's booth, looking at a comedy show set up by a droid..

The vents seemed wider than normal in this house. Not that he complained. Sonny felt good about being able to stand up right as he moved around. Had it been someone else, they would have felt lost in the tunnels up here. Sonny however, felt at home. As a pirate, he was used to using airvents to get around. Nothing made you seek to look invisible more than being wanted for a few millions. A sound made him pull into the shaddows, and hide. The droids were out looking. Duke Maddox certainly didn't waste time going after him. Normally, it took them more time to gather a searchparty than this. Not that it bothered him. After all these years, Sonny didn't feel worried for the droids anymore. The human brain would defeat microchips on any given day. Sonny had removed the tracking device on his arm before he entered the vents, no need advertising where he was. Slowly, he made his way towards the cellars. The easiest way out, was always to go low. But, as he moved deeper, he heard voices. Sonny recognized the voice. Hami Maddox. Sounded like the kid had somekind of meeting. Sonny snuck closer. He was now directly above the room. And he could look down on the group. Sonny first thought he saw wrong. But upon closer inspection, he realised it wasn't so. There were two members of the group in particular, that cought his attention. A lightly disguised Artie, wich didn't surprise him. Clearly, the pirates was infiltrating the group, in an attempt to stop Hami. But the young man next to Artie, made Sonny choke his own laughter. He was used to a redhead D'Jok, but clearly, D'Jok was trying to disguise himself, to the ones less familiar with the pirates ways, it would work, to a pirate, the disguise was as poor as it could get. But to dot the I, D'Jok had dyed his hair, blonde. Sonny knew he would burst into laughter when he saw this.

' you really pull all the stops son, but it's not a bad thought' he whispered silently to himself.

Gently, he crawled closer, to hear the on going conversation...

Hami looked at the group. The two new guys, Arthur and Donny, seemed serious.

'Are you sure this is a wise move Hami? It sounds like a highrisk project' said Donny, who in reality was D'Jok.

'What's the matter Donny? Are you being a chicken?' asked Hami.

'Off course not, I just think it takes a lot of balls to actually want to assasinate your own uncle'

Above them, Sonny frowned when he heard this. Assacinate Maddox? Whatever the kid was up to, it was big, and would change things conciderably if he succeeeded. Well, the pirates was going to make sure it didn't prove easy to do.

Sonny decided it would be of help if he too knew what was being discussed. Making sure he stayed out of any light, he crouched down, to get what they were talking about.

Clearly Hami was up to something that involved Duke Maddox, but what? Sonny knew he couldn't stay too long, but a few more seconds should do.

' And what about Blackbones?' asked Arthur.

'Wich blackbones? You know, there are two of them' Hami smirked.

' Don't think D'Jok is a major problem, I'd worry a lot more if I was coming face to face with Sonny' said Arthur.

' Sonny Blackbones is no threat. As of now, they're taking him to the labs, where he'll be put completely under technoid's control' he told them.

Sonny smiled where he sat. Clearly, he didn't know yet, that he was on the run.

' but there is this girl, Rose..' he continued.

The mentioning of Rose's name, made Sonny frown.

'Don't you even dare think of it kid' he mumbled.

Clearly, he planned to strike against Rose. Well, not if he had anything to say in the matter.

Sonny could tell that both D'Jok and Artie was listening now.

'What about her?' asked Donny.

'Nothing much, I'll get her back, for humiliating me in front of Blackbones, and my friends. She should know that a woman only serves one purpose in my world' Hami said.

Sonny didn't like what he heard.

The Maddox kid had a wiew on women that was both outdated and hostile. Sonny decided to put Rose under guarding.

' and what would that be?' Arthur asked.

' A woman is to please a man in bed, and then, have as many children as possible by him' said Hami.

'it doesn't explain what this has to do with Rose?' Donny argued.

Hami's smile was an evil one, when he faced D'Jok.

' I decided that I want her to bear my children. She is my future wife to be.'

Artie and D'Jok was forced to hide the shock. Sonny's face was the one of disbelief and shock.

Rose? Married to Hami Maddox? Not if he had anything to say.

Sonny decided there was only one thing to do. Rose had to get her medical exams elsewhere. She was not safe in Genesis.

Now, he had to get out...

The meeting in the basement was over. D'Jok and Artie knew they had to make it back to the pirates as fast as possible. D'Jok and Artie had made it out as soon as they could.

Corso had notified Artie that the silent alarm in the maddox villa had been triggered.

'It indicates that Sonny is on the move' he told Artie.

'If you can, wait for him. We don't know what kind of condition he is in right now!'

' Will do!'

Artie grabbed D'Jok's arm.

' We should hold back a little' he smiled.

'Huh? What do you mean?' said a puzzled D'Jok

' Corso said that the silent alarm is triggered. They checked it. Comes up as escape'

The words made D'Jok smile.

'Sounds like Dad had enough, and decided for a little fieldtrip' he smiled.

The two pirates made sure no one saw them, as they found an excit point for the vents.

Artie listened, as he looked up he smiled.

'Someone's coming, and it sounds like in a hurry' he informed Corso.

'Good, we're ready, make it as quick as you can!'

D'Jok could hear how shots were being fired. It formed a smile on his face. There weren't too many that would make a run for it, with droids on his tail, and try to get out.

Artie quickly pulled the protective cover of, and stepped aside.

They could hear someone slide down the vents, and fast. Minutes later, a figure landed in front of them. Sonny quickly got on his feets.

'lets get away from here, the party is about to get a little intense' he told the two pirates.

Artie and D'Jok made sure Sonny ran in front of them, as they would form a protective wall behind him.

As they were running, they could hear from Sonny's breathing, that his lung wasn't quite allright. Finally, they stopped in a dark corner.

'Dad!' D'Jok embraced him.

'We don't have a lot of time, I got company on my tail' Sonny said, looking over his shoulder.

'Over here, taxi's ready' smiled Artie.

Corso dropped a ropeladder for the party on the ground. As soon as they were aboard, D'Jok closed the hatch.

Sonny leaned against the wall, clearly breathing hard.

'you ok, Sonny?' Corso asked worried.

'No, my lung hurts, clearly I pushed too hard this time' Sonny replied.

Corso nodded.

'Lay down Sonny. You need to relax a little, you'll feel better after you get some shuteye' Corso said and pulled out a blanket and a pillow.

By the time the first droids reached the bottom, they could send the following message to Duke Maddox.

'Mission aborted, Blackbones has escaped!'...

As this happened, Rose spent the day with Mei and Tia. She tried not to think of things, but found it difficult. Both girls understood that. Mei was about to call Corso, when her phone rang. Mei picked up.

'D'Jok?' she said surprised when she saw the now blonde young man on the other line.

'Is Rose with you girls?' he asked.

'Yes, how come?' Rose froze up, fearing that D'Jok was going to bare bad news regarding Sonny.

'Rose, don't worry. Sonny's safe. He was freed hours ago. Last time I checked on him, he was sound asleep in his bed in the cabin' D'Jok smiled.

Rose felt relief take over. Sonny was safe, Technoid had failed to sieze control of him.

'That's great news D'Jok. Tell him I am happy for him, and make sure he gets to rest' she said.

'Will do!' D'Jok hung up.

The three girls celebrated Sonny's escape, with drinks and cake for a few more hours, along with the pirates. Sonny's escape was welcome news, wich brought them hope. Rose knew she could expect a call from him as soon as he woke up. Smiling, and light around the heart, the girls parted, agreeing to meet again soon. Rose had asked Mei and Tia to help her pack up her appartement, before Rose would return to Shiloh. It made all of them irritated that Hami had managed to ruin Rose's plans like this. But there was little to nothing they could do.

Rose walked back to her apartement, alone.

She knew she needed start packing, she wouldn't be staying on. Hami had made sure to crush her plans. She could still get it done, but not through Technoid and certainly not in Genesis.

Rose opened the door and entered.

She didn't see the dark shaddow, coming from behind, not untill he grabbed hold around her neck.

'So, you finally return Rose Wisely, or should I call you by your real name, Rose Blackbones?'...

_The attackers identity will be exposed in chapter 9, if you haven't already guessed it. As will the attackers plans. Will the pirates come to her rescue? And will Rose be able to fullfill her dream of becoming a doctor on shiloh? All this and more to come. Stay tuned._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Abduction

_I am ratning this chapter higher, as the story will turn darker, and a bit more violent from this point on._

Corso was sitting on the computers, plotting the course for Shiloh. He was still waiting for orders to leave Genesis. A snoring sound made him turn to the chair on the commandcenter. He smiled. Sonny was dead tired, but refused to sleep for long at the time.

'Sonny, don't be this hard on yourself. You need to rest' he smiled compassionately.

Sonny opened his eyes.

'We're not leaving yet Corso. We're bringing Rose too!'

'Why Sonny? Do you know something?' Corso asked, all of a sudden cold around his heart.

Sonny nodded.

'Hami Maddox, is a bigger threat than I thought. Gather a small group to go help Rose pack in the dead of night, we'll leave right after! But first, I'll call her!' he said with a smile.

Corso chuckled, and handed Sonny the computer.

Sonny typed in the codes to activate the secure frequenzy. But Rose didn't pick up.

'Something wrong?' Corso said, when he noticed that his friend and leader frowned his forehead.

' Rose isn't replying' he said, clearly worried.

'Why? Rose always picks up a call on this fequenzy' said Corso.

' Wich is why I suspect something's happened. Send Artie, and Bennett!' Sonny ordered.

'Sonny, may I suggest you send D'Jok and Artie instead of Bennett? Both of them are «students» in Hami's class, it would more natural if they visit a fellow student, don't you think?' suggested Corso.

'That depends. How had D'Jok been lately?' Sonny asked.

Corso told him what he wanted to know. Sonny listened attentively, rubbing his chin. When Corso was done, Sonny nodded.

'ok, send in D'Jok and Artie. Tell them to be prepared for anything. And stay alert for danger!'

'Right sonny!' Corso called Artie.

Sonny turned to the screen. The worry was written all over his face.

This had something to do with Hami, he just knew it. And it bothered him that he was not well enough to go looking for her personally.

'We'll find you Rose, I promise. No one threatens anyone in my family, and gets away with it!' he whispered...

Rose slowly opened her eyes. The room was dark. The air felt cold. This wasn't her appartement. Panic started to pump through her body. Where was she? Rose got on the ground and started to feel the walls, to find a light switch. There appeared to be none. The walls were made of bricks. And it felt moist. Could it be somekind of cellar? Slowly, the pirate training kicked in. She had lived among the Shiloh pirates for most of her life, and as a pirate, you had to develop certain skills. Though hard, she had learned that the long road she had travelled to become who she was, was the same road all future pirates to be, had to travel. At some point, even Corso and Sonny, whom she admired highly, had walked that road. She remembered asking them about it.

'You know Rose, that road is different for everyone. I've experienced things on my way that Sonny didn't. And he experienced things I didn't' Corso had said thoughtfully.

Sonny had nodded in agreeance, before he pulled out a chair, and sat down.

'Appart from a few things, Corso and I have the same experience, but in different timelines. When I joined the pirates, he had already been here for most of his life. He knew all about how things worked, whilst I, who was a rookie pirate back then, knew nothing. Had I gone off on my own, Technoid would soon have cought up with me'.

Corso nodded, with a smile.

'But, because we are who we are, we take care of one another. We took him in, and trained him, making him one of us, the same way, as when I came here'.

Rose had looked at Corso.

'I never really asked how you became a pirate, did I?' she asked him.

Corso looked away.

'No, and I would not want to scare you by telling that story now. I want you to be older, and realise what a cruel world we live in, how justice is only for the ones with money, and freedom an ideal that we fight to achieve' he said.

Sonny had been silent when his second in command spoke.

'Rose, you're not old enough to understand yet, in time, you will. Being a pirate is hardships and pain, it's not ever easy. But, we will teach you our ways, to give you some survival skills. I can't tell you how to live your life Rose, but I can lay the grounds for you to pursue your dreams'..

Rose knew that he had. Corso and Sonny had taken her on a trip into the wilderness of Shiloh. They survived on what nature had to offer, and tought her how to make it in a survival of the fittest situation. Rose had picked up the pirate trade over the years, and she knew that she could get out of this situation too. Her attacker would be sorry.

There was a storm raging in Roses eyes when she thought of the slime that had brought her down here. He had a name. He thought he was God's gift to women, and stunk like a pig. Hami Maddox was intolerable. But she was going to get him back somehow. Now, she needed to wait for him to return...

D'Jok felt his pulse rise. They were in Hami's class again. He had expected to see Rose, but there was no sign of her. D'Jok focused his attention to Hami. He knew something. He was too happy not to. But, he was also in control of the situation so far. D'Jok had fixed his watch so that he would be able to leave it on, with a direct line to his father. Sonny had not been all confident about sending his son into this, but had been left with little other choise. Corso, on the other side had supported him.

'D'Jok!'

The earplug in his ear suddenly sparked into action.

'Watch Hami carefully. See if you can put a tracer on him, Corso will lead the second team!'

D'Jok wanted to talk back to his father, but the class would surely think he had lost it if he did. Even Artie was looking at him.

'Donny?'

They were undercover now, D'Jok hated it, almost as much as he hated dying his hair, but it had been necessary. He still remembered all the pirates sniggering when that was done. Artie had come close to chocking in a laughattack while Bennett made sure the dye covered what it was supposed to. Even Corso had a hard time remaining serious. D'Jok also remembered Sonny having to turn a way for a little while as he had seen his son's hair. Though, the face had been serious, his eyes gave him away. Sonny was near bursting into laughs, and Corso knew it. But they had decided, that for the time being, they would keep it that way.

'Art?', D'Jok knew Artie hated this.

'Pay attention man, no need going to school if you're gonna daydream all the time'

Artie just managed to finish the sentence before the bell rung for recess.

Outside, Hami was waiting for them.

'Tired Donny?' he said as he stared at D'Jok.

' Bluff it D'Jok!' he heard his fathers voice whisper in his ear.

He kept forgetting about the mike in his ear, and Sonny sounded like he was listening to everything. It gave D'Jok the sense that his father still wasn't trusting him on this. And when he thought of it, he couldn't blame him. He had screwed up too many times to earn that right. But, he needed to find a way to redeem himself in his fathers eyes. A difficult task, D'Jok knew.

' nah, it's the teacher, why can't he make things more interresting?' he said nonchalantly, trying to blow it away.

'I'll hand you my notes later on Donny, that way you won't flunk the test tomorrow' Hami offered.

'ok..'

He could hear the giggle in the background.

Not funny guys.

He hadn't even known there was a test. He looked over at Artie.

'So, studying tonight Art?' he smirked

'Why bother? I paid attention to the teacher, wich, from what I could tell, was more than you did' Artie slung back.

Hami shook his head.

'You two are hillarious when you bicker, one should think you were brothers' he said.

' Not with that guy' said Artie.

'We're going clubbing this weekend, want to join?' Hami asked.

'Sure, sounds like fun' said D'Jok before Sonny could tell him no.

As the bell rung, D'Jok passed Hami, and patted his shoulder. As he did that, he made sure to place the tiny reciever on Hami's jacket.

Artie had seen what he was doing. Sometimes, there was no need to communicate. Artie typed in a preset signal on his transmitter...

Aboard the Black Manta, Sonny was relaxing in the chair, when a signal made him look up. He checked the screens. A smile formed when he saw what it was.

' package is tagged and tracked. Now, comes the waiting part' he said.

Corso looked over his shoulder.

'Good work D'Jok!, now, head back to base!' Sonny ordered.

He made sure to place a map to fit the area where he knew the Maddox heir was.

'Now, let's see where you're headed' he mumbled.

'If he hurt Rose..' Corso growled.

Sonny looked up, and faced his friend. His hazels had grown narrow and dark.

' If so, he'd better pray to his maker, that we don't get to him before his uncle!' said Sonny.

The pirate chief's voice sounded ominous.

' and what about the other stuff you told me?' he asked.

'We'll deal with it later. First, we need to find Rose, and bring her to safety' Sonny said.

'You're the boss' Corso nodded...

Rose felt alone. She had tried to find a way out, tried screaming for help. No help had come. She had used the skills thought to her by the pirates to clam herself. If you paniced, you would be sure to fail. Sonny's words rung somewhere in the back of her mind. She sat down. It was cold in here, wearing just a skirt. A sound made her ready herself. Someone was coming. A sidepanel opened. That's why she hadn't found a door, there was none. Whoever entered the room, was coming from somewhere with sharp light. That would be an advantage she could use in her favour.

But Rose lacked field training. And her abductor was well ahead of her in that area.

'Happy to see me again, Rose Blackbones?' hissed a voice.

'Leave me be, who are you?' Rose was backing away from him.

Her eyes was used to the dark, and she was familliar with the room.

'You know me Rose, and now, you will pay for standing me up!' said the abductor, as he launched himself at her.

'Let go of me Hami!' Rose demanded as she felt Hami tightening the grip on her hands.

'You're not in a position to negotiate Rose. I've decided to forgive you for that, but at a price', he hissed.

Rose tried to wriggle out of his grip, but in wain.

She could feel a cold wall against her back, as Hami pushed her against it. He had shifted his grip, and now held her hands with just one, the other hand..

Rose felt nausious, as she felt his hands under her top, grabing her breasts..

'What are you doing? Stop!' she yelled.

Hami completely overheard her.

'This room is soundproof Rose, no one knows we're here. There is no eascaping me' Hami whispered as he kissed her neck.

'Please, stop. I don't want this. What do you want from me? Rose whispered.

The tremour in her voice could no longer be concealed.

Hami grinned, she could now see an evil glow in his yellow eyes. She had heard this glow described before. She had heard Corso speak of the yellow eyed monster, who had killed everyone arond him, and injured him.

She had heard Sonny speak of a monster, with a cold heart, and deception, who would betray everyone around him.

Hami had to be the son of such a monster, to act like this.

Hami let his hand slide down. Rose felt what he was doing.

'No, no, not that!' she screamed in panic.

Hami didn't care, as his pants dropped.

' We will have beautiful children together, Rose Blackbones, as soon as you become pregnant, you'll be my bride'

'No, no, let me go, stop!' Rose was crying, before Hami covered her mouth, to silence the scream he knew was coming...

_this is bad, it looks like our friends will be too late. Will Rose manage to escape? And what is going on in Hami's head? All of this in the chapter to follow..._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Help

Rose somehow managed to push him away, with the last of her strenght, but it was already too late. She knew he had raped her. She sunk together on the floor, covering her eyes.

Hami nonchalantly rose.

'Virgin or no virgin, I've had better than you. But, it's fitting you bare my child, after the way your friend Sonny humilliated me'.

' Don't pull Sonny into this. You don't know him. At least, he has a sense of honor and respect. He never had to force a girl to go to bed with him' Rose yelled.

Then, she realised the mistake.

'So, you know him that well, not surprising, judging from your last name. He probobly just didn't get that far with you yet, but surely, in time'.

'He wouldn't do something like that. We're not realated by bloodlines. But he is family to me!' she said in an angry tone.

Hami looked at her with a devious smile on his face.

'We'll see just how much you're worth to him. If he manages to trace you down here, he deserves to defeat me. But from what I learned, he's slow to catch on. Strange really, if he is as bright as my uncle makes him out to be'.

' Don't you say that! Who told you such mallicious lies?'

Hami looked at her. Then, he grabbed her arms again.

'Look me deep in the eyes Rose, and tell me you don't recognize the monster most of the pirastes have their worst nightmares about?' he smirked.

Rose's face shifted, into a look of share terror.

'It can't be. It' just can't. No after all the hurt he inflicted on the families, to Sonny, and D'Jok..'

'Can it not? Yes Rose, it can. Why do you think my uncle placed General Bleylock as his right hand man? He married my uncle's niice, making me the son of Bleylock, Sonny's worst enemy. And know this, I will continue my fathers work. And my work is done, when Sonny is lying dead on the ground'.

With that, Hami threw Rose backwards, opened the panel, and left the room.

Rose placed her hands around the knees.

'Please, Sonny, come rescue me'...

'He knows!' Sonny slammed his hands into the computer.

Frustration was eating away at all of them. Hami had remained in his appartement for hours, it seemed, but then, Sonny had seen surveilance photoes from elsewhere. Hami was nowhere near where the tracking device said.

' We'll have to change plans. Rose's safety depends on it' he pulled a hand through his hair.

' if she doesn't give notice after 24 hours, she can be reported missing. But, I'm not sure it will do much good' sighed Corso.

Sonny rubbed his chin.

'We need someone, an expert on tracking computeruse from afar..' he said thoughtfully.

'Like who? Artie and Bennett are skilled, but, there are those that are better..' Corso acknowledged.

Sonny just nodded. The fear he felt inside, was increasing by the minute, and his lung had started to hurt. As the stresslevels rose, Corso noticed how Sonny started to struggle. It was his breathing that gave him away.

'Sonny?' he placed a hand to Sonny's shoulder.

'I'm ok Corso..' Sonny tried to sound normal, but was gasping for air.

'No, you're not Sonny. This is really getting to you. You need to relax'.

'No can do!' Sonny replied.

He had to follow through on this.

'At least sit down, and stop phasing around. You risk fainting the way you move about'.

Sonny realised Corso was right.

' set up the secure frequezy. I just had an idea as to whom might be able to help us' he said.

'Who do you want to call Sonny?' Corso asked.

In his eye, Sonny could see a glimpse of hope.

' Call Thran' he said, as he slowly sunk down in the chair.

Corso looked at him, but did as he was told. If anyone could help them, it was the old defender of the snowkids...

It was a heartfelt sight for D'Jok, when he went to pick up his former teammate. There had been no hessitation in Thran's voice when Sonny had asked him for help. He could tell from the pirate chief's face that Sonny was worried. D'Jok carefully knocked at the door of the house in Akillian. He didn't come here a whole lot these days. Being wanted didn't help much. He had never seen himself as one of those guys, running for his life, or from Technoid. That's how naive he had been. What had he been thinking? That he could do underground work like that undetected? He knew Technoid knew of the relation between him and Sonny, as it wasn't exactly something they had hidden. Even Calleigh had announced him as the son of Sonny Blackbones. D'Jok felt shame for how members of the underground resistance had nearly lost their lives because of his hatred, and lack of thinking. When he had set the explosive devices to go off too soon, it had been pure luck that Sonny and Corso cought up with them on time. Sonny had scolded him afterwards.

'D'Jok, what's the matter with you? You need to you act son!' he had said.

Sonny had restrained himself from yelling, but D'Jok had seen that he had come close to doing just that.

'Dad, I thought it was a good plan' he had tried to defend himself.

Sonny had looked at him.

'Normally yes D'Jok. But miscalculating the time like that.. you could all have gotten killed. Suppose you had not made it out of the building before the explosives ignited? Then what? D'Jok,the way you act, is reckless and irresponsible. I can't have you running around on your own, worried for your next move to fail. I have to know I can trust you'.

Trust. The keyword. D'Jok knew he had messed up in his fathers eyes. And he had a long way to go to redeem himself yet. But, he was working on it. Sonny had been pleased with the progress so far, but D'Jok knew he was still on a tight leach. Sonny was watching his every move vigilantly.

Finally, Thran opened the door. He pulled D'Jok inside, and out of sight.

'You can remove the hood now!' he told his former teammate.

D'Jok just knew his change of appearance would make Thran laugh. But the defender didn't. He just looked at him.

'Nice, it becomes you' he commented, as he closed his bag. Thran knew how to travel light.

Both the former snowkids snuck out unseen, and found D'Jok's nearby ship. D'Jok entered the codes to send them back to Shiloh and the designated location of the pirates.

'So, what's new with Sonny?' asked Thran, and gazed over at D'Jok.

'Nothing much. I screwed up a few times, and Dad's got me on a tight leach. He doesn't trust me' said D'Jok silently.

'What happened?' Thran wouldn't drop the subject.

D'Jok sighed. There was still a few hours back to Shiloh, he might as well tell it all. Thran listened attentively. When D'Jok was done, he nodded.

'With what you're telling me, I have to agree with your father D'Jok. I understand him. But, as long as you work to improve, I'm sure, sooner or later, he'll trust you again' he smiled.

There was something about Thran, when he smiled, that made D'Jok relax. He hadn't spent time with anyone from his old team in a long while now, and D'Jok realised he had missed , they started talking of the subject of getting the old team together and meet up, just for a night of fun...

Rose felt like she had stepped out of her own body. It was a mental training that she had undergone when she joined the pirates. That way, it was like she was not even in her own body, when Hami raped her for the second time. She could see why Corso and Sonny had described Bleylock as a monster. She had heard the stories over and over, on how the monster she knew as General Bleylock, had killed the families of many of todays pirates. The ones that were pirates, were the lucky ones. They had somehow managed to survive. Some with minor injuries. Like Corso. Rose knew that his mechanical eye came from close up hand to hand combat with Bleylock. Corso had been enraged when his family had been butchered. He hadn't given it a second thought. He didn't care wheter he made it out or not. Grief and hate had filled his heart, as he managed to sneak close to the general, and attempted to kill him. He had failed, and as a result, to put him in his place, Bleylock had made sure to punish him. The punishment had cost him an eye. A small price compared to the one Sonny had been made to pay. Rose had been crying when she learned Sonny's story with Bleylock, how a happy marrige, with two young, expectant parents, had ended, the day Sonny made the call to try to prevent a new galactik war, by attempting to destroy his and Clamp's invention, the metaflux. That call had come at a high price. It had been the last time Sonny saw his beloved Niobe, and for years, he had thought himself to be alone. It wasn't till almost 16 years later, he would learn the truth. He had lost his son's entire childhood, thinking he was dead. When he found it wasn't so, he also found out what had happened to his wife. Both Rose and D'Jok knew, it still pained him till this day. Not only had Bleylock, figureatly speaking, taken Sonny's wife from him, he had also stolen the precious childhood years of his son from him too. For 16 years, D'Jok highest wish had been a father. Maya never dated anyone, so hoping that would give him a father figure, was in vain. Then, the pirates had intervined, when the snowkids were becoming mysteriously ill, and Sonny had found the link between himself and D'Jok. He had almost payed the ultimate price for that discovery. But, that was all in the past.

'Seemes you're getting familiar with this, we should try new positions' Hami mocked her.

Rose felt scared, but decided to put up a brave face.

'Just get whatever it is you're doing, overwith. You're starting to bore me' she said, pretending not to care.

'Oh, not exciting enough for you huh? I'll see what I can do to help you with that' Hami said.

As the rape progressed, Rose felt nauseous. She had been held down here for almost two weeks now, and it seemed Sonny and the pirates were no way near finding her. Rose was starting to give up hope. Didn't they care? Snap out of it, she told herself. They will come, they just have to find you..

Sonny was looking over Thran's shoulder. Seeing the former snowkids defender work, was amazing. Even Sonny couldn't tell how Thran managed to tap into Hami's computer, but it seemed a piece of cake.

'So, what are you guys looking for?' Thran asked.

' Try finding anything on Rose' suggested Corso, as he handed Sonny a hot cup of coffe.

Thran quickly searched the database.

'it comes up blank' he told them.

Sonny was irritated, but did his best to conceal it. The information he sought was in there.

' bring up all the files, we'll search it manually' he said.

A few hours later, he knew what Hami was up to. It was a crazy man's plan, but Hami was crazy enough. What was more, Sonny also had learned who was his father. Seeing the name on screen, had made cold chills run down his spine. If Hami was the son of Bleylock, they were dealing with someone that clearly had inherrited his fathers madness.

'Sonny, we found a map, it's in the cellars of the Maddox villa. A secret room' Corso informed him.

Sonny felt his heart starting to race.

'Corso, assemble a rescue team, and go get her out of there. I just hope we're not too late' he said thoughtfully.

Corso understood him very well.

Rose had been missing for two weeks now. There was no trace of her. Mei and Tia had called on a regular basis, to hear if there was anything new. So far, there had been none.

Corso had picked Bennett, Stevens and Hawkins to go with him. Since D'Jok and Artie were still working undercover, it would be too risky to use any of them. The team took off in a small ship.

Entering the Villa was a piece of cake for trained pirates. They soon made it into the cellar. Corso pulled out the map to check it.

'There is nothing but walls here Corso, no door' said Bennett as he checked the walls.

' Heard of panelwalls before?' said Stevens. He was looking for any type of cracks that indicated a door of somekind.

Hawkins had walked a small distance from the others, and gave a signal to hide. The pirates could see a lone figure come walking out of a room, before he closed the panels. Hami Maddox, wearing a hood.

Corso signaled for them to be silent untill he couldn't hear them. Then, as soon as he was gone, they walked over to the panels he had excited. The wall was protected by a code, but for the pirates, it was childsplay to find. Corso punched in the code. None of the pirates knew of the sight that waited for them inside. Bennett walked first. As he turned his flashlight, he was meet by a terrible sight.

'Oh no, Rose..'

Rose was lying on the floor, crying. It didn't take the pirates long to realise what had happened. Her clothing was carrying all the signs that a rape had taken place.

'let's get her out of here. We'll have someone else to check her' said Corso.

He had to turn away, to hide the tears that was pressing behind the eyes.

Rose had been raped, he didn't doubt that. Corso knew what that meant. Hami maddox had no idea of just how bad this was for him...

_The next chapter will be a very Rose centered one. She's gone through a rough time, and because the rescue dragged out, she'll start to doubt her friends and family. Can Sonny and Corso bring it around? And will D'Jok get to meet his teammates again? Keep reading, and the answers will be revealed._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Rose

D'Jok was furious. Beyond furious. Hami should be on his hands and knees, thanking his lucky star that Corso was the one that found Rose. Had it been him.. D'Jok knew emotions would have gotten the better of him. He would have beat Hami to death, gotten arrested, and put his father in an impossible situation.

He had asked Artie to accompany him to the ships gym, to get some of the frustration out. It ended in Corso joining him instead. Sonny's orders had been unquestionable. Artie and Bennett would stay in the cabin, and tend to Rose, while he would contact Clamp and Dame Simbai, for some advice.

The pirates weren't used to having females onboard. Usually, it was a male only crew, to make sure the men would stay focused on their job, and not get distracted.

Bennett and Artie were the ones with medical skills onboard. Wich was why Sonny ordered them to tend to her. D'Jok had wanted to see her, but Sonny and Corso stoped him from entering the room.

'Not now D'Jok, let Bennett and Artie take care of her!' Sonny ordered.

D'Jok had tried to push him away. It felt like running into a brickwall. Not surprising. D'Jok knew Sonny didn't have an ounce of excess fat on his entire body. He looked as skinny as all the other pirates, but D'Jok knew Sonny was all muscles.

You couldn't get past him if he had decided that you couldn't.

'Fine, I'll be at the gym, if anyone needs me' he said stomping off.

Corso and Sonny exchanged looks.

'I'll handle it Sonny. You go contact Clamp' he said.

Sonny nodded, and placed a hand to Corso's shoulder for a brief moment, before he headed to the ships command center...

Bennett and Artie was tending to Rose. She moaned when she was touched.

'The injuries..down there.. are pretty bad Bennett, I don't know how to treat things like this' said Artie.

He was embarrased by the entire job. He, like all the pirates, loved Rose, almost as much as he loved his seemingly fearless leader. But trying to tend to her private parts.. it was ackward.

'Neither do I Artie, all we can do, is tend to the wounds to the best of our abillities. As soon as Sonny has talked to Dame Simbai, we might be able to help her better' he said.

' I hope so. It looks painful. If it gets infected..'

'We'll make sure it doesn't happen. Now, hand me the linnen bandages, to cover her lightly'...

D'Jok was becoming strong. And he had improved on his fighting skills. Corso was holding a sandbag as D'Jok let out his rage on it.

'I'll murder him, when I get my hands on that weasel' screamed D'Jok as he furiously attacked the bag.

'Let it out D'Jok. You can't get to him directly, it's far too dangerous. Remember who you are. The son of the most wanted man in the galaxy!' Corso tried to calm him.

'I don't care. He raped Rose. I know we're not family by bloodlines like Dad and I, but she is still like a little sister to me. I could have prevented this. I SHOULD have prevented this from happening!' D'Jok kicked the sandbag as hard as he could.

Corso struggled to hold it in place.

'Calm yourself D'Jok. Think of what would happen if you did go after Hami Maddox. They would sieze you. A perfect way to get to Sonny. And if they get him, there is no telling what they'd do D'Jok!'.

'Your point being Corso?' growled D'Jok.

' You got a bounty on your head D'Jok, just like your father. When he had the same worth, he would never give himself to his enemy like you suggest. I recall Sonny standing before the crew of Black Manta, asking if anyone aboard wanted to collect that bounty. If they wanted his blood on their hands. For you to go out and do something like this D'Jok, you're putting your father in immense risk. If they got you, they know he will try to save you. They'll use you as bait, to get to Sonny. And I won't allow that to happen one more time' Corso said.

D'Jok stared at him.

'What do you mean? One more time?' he asked.

'You don't know? Remember Bleylock?' hissed Corso.

When was the stubborn son of his best friend going to get it? Was he really this stupid? Driven by his emotions or did he just act like he was. Whatever the case, Corso knew he needed to get some sense into D'Jok's head, before the boy went and did something stupid.

' who could forget?' mumbled D'Jok, clearly a bit calmer.

' When he abducted you, he sent a message that we cought. When Sonny realised what danger you were in, he wanted to go rescue you imideatly. Despite knowing he would walk into a trap' said Corso.

' We tried to stop him, I used a stungun on him, to keep him from going. We locked him up in the hold, in an effort to protect him. But Sonny outsmarted us, and got away. We didn't manage to stop him, causing Bleylock to finally get him. He almost killed Sonny, but we saved him in the nick of time. My point is D'Jok. Sonny knew what would happen if complied with Bleylock's wishes, and still, he did as told. He couldn't live with loosing you. So, think things through carefully, otherwise, we will pull you out of Hami's gang in a heartbeat'.

'What? You can't do that. That operation is mine and Artie's' D'Jok objected.

' Don't push your luck D'Jok. You may be Sonny's son, but that does not allow you to call the shots around here. Either, you do things in a mature way, or you are grounded aboard the ship. Got that?' Corso stared at him, with the mechanical eye glowing red.

D'Jok swallowed. It felt unfair, but he could see where Corso was coming from. He had promised not to mess things up any more, and if he wanted to win the pirates trust, he had to suck it up.

'Got it!' he nodded.

'Maybe I've been wrong about you D'Jok. There is still hope for you' Corso said, patting D'Jok's shoulder, as he left for the command center of the ship...

Sonny was looking serious at the screen.

'It's one of the worst injuries caused by rape that I've seen, Dame Simbai' he told the herbalist on the other line.

'Have you got some photoes to show me?' she asked.

Sonny had anticipated the question, and pressed a button on the panel infront of him.

'Got the pictures?' he asked.

Dame Simbai's face was one of total shock.

'She's bleed heavily judging from these' she said thoughtfully.

'We gave her a transfusion and tried to bandage the wounds as carefully as possible. But, I fear another problem with this' the pirate chief said concerned.

' You're thinking of a possible pregnancy because of this?' Dame Simbai said.

'You read my mind'.

'Bring her to Akillian. I'll make sure the secret room is made ready, as I assume one or more of you will stay on?' she asked, looking at him over her glasses.

Sonny let a smile flash over his face.

'I'll be staying with her, for as long as it takes' he said.

Dame Simbai nodded. Arguing with the head of the pirates, she had tried before. She knew Sonny would not back down. And his plan made sense. He had given the girl his last name, and was, by technicalities, her guardian. He had every right to stay.

'Ok, but you know, it is a risk? The Technodroids are swarming on Akillian these days, looking for D'Jok'.

Sonny nodded.

'Wich is exactly why he's not coming. Rose has been unconcious since we found her. She needs at least one of her 'familymembers' at her side when she comes too' he stated.

'And why would you do it Sonny? The bounty for your capture has never been higher. I fear someone will turn you in this time' she said, clearly worried.

Sonny seemed relaxed though.

'Dame Simbai, after all the years that has passed, you know, as well as I do, that the bounty will continue to rise. I wouldn't worry too much. I wear the standard equippment for pirates whenever I leave the ship' he smiled.

And by standard equippment, he meant the memory eraser, the grapling hook, a memory block, to get undetected past droids, and a large number of magnetic disks, in case the droids would get too close.

'I'll make the room ready' she said, and the transmission ended.

At the same time, Corso entered the room.

'Is he calm?' Sonny asked, not taking his eyes of the screen.

'If you would call a ticking timebomb calm, then I'd say yes' Corso growled.

Sonny nodded. He had expected that.

'So, how do we solve this?' Corso wanted to know.

'I'm taking her to Akillian, to Dame Simbai. I'll be staying there untill she is better' Sonny said.

Corso nodded.

'What do you want us to do, Sonny?`'

Sonny's hazels narrowed as he looked up.

'Find Hami Maddox, and then capture him. What he did to Rose, will not go unpunished!' said Sonny.

'I'd love to kill him with my bare hands' growled Corso.

'Get in line, Corso. We all want to' said Sonny.

Klerko, a technician. Joined them.

'The ship is ready Sonny, we enabled the stealth mode' he said.

'Good. Transport Rose to the ship, We'll be leaving shortly' said Sonny.

Klerko left them.

'Are you sure about this Sonny?' Corso asked.

Sonny nodded.

'it's the safest way. Personally, I would have prefeered going after Hami myself, but..'

Corso shook his head.

'Not with that damaged lung you're not. Ask Dame Simbai to look at it. She might have something that could help' Corso suggested.

Sonny shot him a glare.

Then, the two friends walked to th e ship that would take them to Akillan..

Hami was furious. Rose was gone. And from the looks of it, the pirates had played a role in this. He was grinding his teeths in share frustration. But, as soon as the rage had occured, the mood shifted into one of a devious smile.

'You haven't won yet Blackbones. I'll soon be your worst nightmare. And if you think you've seen the worst, you have been wrong. There is a new era about to start, as soon as my uncle is moved out of the way' he said, before the room was filled by an evil laugh...

She looked so little, and defenseless in the big bed. Sonny still wore the hood, to protect himself, when outside. A pirate could never be too carefull. He took it down, as soon as Dame Simbai's lab was locked. Clamp was looking at some screens, where as Dame simbai was examining Rose.

'This is more like a butchering, than a rape. Clearly a hate crime' she told them.

Sonny nodded. He had made sure to send Stevens and two other pirates to help Mei and Tia empty Rose's apartement in Genesis, and bring her stuff back to The Black Manta. The appartement had carried all the signs of a struggle going on. But when they found the picture Rose had hidden, of herself, D'Jok and him, with a broken glass, Sonny had put two and two together. Hami had found out who Rose really was. She could not follow through on her dream of becoming a licenced doctor elsewhere. Sonny expected a wanted poster for her capture to be put out soon. It would ruin every chance she had of a normal life. It made his heart heavy to think of this. But what was done, could not be undone. Sonny sat down on a chair, next to the bed, and took her hand.

'She's warm' he commented.

'Fever, the wound could get infected unless it's properly rinsed. Sonny, I hope you're not the fainting type?' Dame Simbai asked him.

'No, why do you ask?' Sonny said, frowning his forehead.

'we have to preform a surgery on her, down there, to make things heal properly. It will be bloddy, and possibly hurt her' Dame Simbai said.

Sonny nodded.

'It's ok, I'll stay!' he said.

But Dame Simbai had heard how the stress was making him breate with a kind of wheasing sound. She looked at him.

'Sonny, what is the real reason you followed Rose here, in person, and not let someone else go?' she asked inquissitively.

Sonny knew, the minute she spoke the words, that he had his back against the wall.

' I'd rather stay here, abd guard her, that feeling like a prisoner aboard my ship all the time' he said.

'You're not completely healed then?' Dame Simbai stated.

Sonny shook his head.

'First, we preform the surgery on Rose. Clamp and I will do that. Sonny, you use this mask, it will do you good' she told him, and handed him what looked like an oxygenmask.

'it seems we got two patients for the price of one here, don't you agree Clamp?' she asked the old man.

Clamp could see the glare Sonny shot him.

'Ehr...sure' he said. Then, they both focused on the young woman's injuries...

Rose felt sore. She felt it sting down there. A little moan escaped her.

'Rose?'

That voice. The voice that always comforted her when she was afraid. It couldn't be..

'Sonny?' she whispered.

She felt a hand touch hers. Light, but still, it was more comfort and safety in that touch than words could express.

'I'm here Rose. Everything will be fine' Sonny carefully lifted her, so she could lean her head against his chest. Rose couldn't stop crying.

'Sonny, I was so scared..Hami..he..' She managed to get out.

She could feel Sonny's body tense for a second or two when she mentioned Hami's name.

'I know Rose. I should have protected you better. Can you ever forgive me for that?' he asked.

'There is nothing to forgive Sonny. You couldn't know' Rose said.

She felt Sonny lay his strong arms around her. Now, she felt safe.

'Rose, Dame Simbai made a rapekit on you. You're pregnant by that scum' Sonny said silently.

Rose felt her heart sink in her chest.

'Then, can we remove it? I don't want anything of him, growing inside of me' she said.

Sonny nodded.

'Tomorrow' he promised.

'But Sonny, he knows we're family now' Rose's voice had the sound of panic to her.

'I know' sounded his reply.

But her next question, made Sonny freeze all over.

'Sonny, Hami is the son of Bleylock. Can you tell me about Bleylock?'...

_Please, do comment on this chapter._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Nightmare from the past.

Rose closed her eyes. She sould not have asked him. She could feel the pain inside him, as if it was her own. It made her wonder, what his past with this Bleylock was. From what she could recall, there were several pirates that knew something about this man. But, they never spoke of it. It was like an unwritten law somewhere. Don't speak of the beast, fight it, and finally, have it become extinct. She wished she had asked someone else than Sonny of this. Sonny's arms still lay safely round her.

'Rose, if I tell you this, it will effect the way you see both Hami, Technoid, the galaxy in total. I can tell you about Bleylock, though, I would prefeer not to. If that is what you want' he said in a soft voice.

Rose turned halfway, despite the pain that pulled in her body.

'Sonny, I don't want to hurt you by asking you this..'

Sonny carefully lay a finger to her lips.

'Sh, you don't. I may be overprotective about you, as I have been with D'Jok. It's one of my more charming treats' he smiled.

Rose had to smile back.

' I never felt anything but safe with you and the pirates Sonny. But..with what Hami did to me...'

She had to stop, the lump in her throat chocked the words, and the tears flowed freely.

Sonny felt completely helpless. He was her guardian, untill they could find out where she came from, a task that still was unsolved. They had little to nothing to go on. The ship had only had writing in a foreign language, no search in the Black manta's database, wich was one of the biggest he knew of, had turned up anything. Sonny had lost count of how many missing persons files he had read through, in an effort to find something. No one should have to walk around, not remembering anything of her past life, family, friends. Well, there had been a time in his life he would have concidered doing just that. It would have been so easy to erase the memories of certain things of the past. But then, Corso had told him of the sideeffect.

'Sonny, I understand you wanting this done. It would make things easier on you, but only in the short run' he had told his friend.

'I don't get it, care to explain?' Sonny had replied.

Corso had given a deep sigh.

'Talk to Bennett Sonny, he's better at these things than I am' Corso had adviced him.

Sonny had followed his advice.

Bennett had looked at him. The fact that he never removed the sunglases was irritating. Sonny had let out a sigh.

'If it can help, I see no reason not to try' he had told the younger pirate.

'Sonny, it won't help for long. The memory erase is only a light version. If you come into contact with anything that you've attempted to erase, it will come back to you, with sideeffects, and the whole proceedure would be wasted' Bennett warned him.

But, Sonny had decided to end one out of two major nightmares. He told Bennett wich one.

'If you're sure' said Bennett, but did as Sonny had asked him.

Years later, Sonny had found out what the sideeffects was.

Sonny had concidered doing this for her, after the rape. But, she needed to heal first, otherwise, the proceedure would effect her the same way it did him.|

Sonny pulled her closer.

'Rose' he whispered.

She could hear the pain in his voice.

'I shouldn't have asked' she stated.

Sonny shook his head.

'No Rose, I should have told you long ago. I just hoped it wouldn't come up. It seemed like enough that D'Jok had to stuggle with it' he sighed.

'Then, tell me of the grandfather of the creature I carry inside me' said Rose, and hardened her voice.

Sonny could see the determination to get rid of the baby in her eyes, it seemed strong already. If she wanted to know about Bleylock, it was not his place to deny her that.

' You best lay down, and comfortable, it's no good story' he said, and packed the covers gently round her..

Aboard the black Manta, D'Jok was trying to get some shuteye. The attempt was feutile. After tossing and turning for several hours, killing Hami Maddox over and over in any way he could think of, D'Jok gave up trying. He tossed the covers aside, and got up. He felt drouzy, but still. Maybe there was something in the command center that would make him bored enough to fall asleep? D'Jok knew Rose was safe in Akillian. As was Sonny. Clamp had checked on them both. Even Sonny was sound asleep. Clamp had told them that Dame Simbai worried about Sonny's injured lung.

'She would have preferred to examine him right away, but..you know Sonny..' he said with a sheepish smile.

' Never abandon a fellow pirate in the hour of need. That sounds like the boss I know' replied Corso.

' Rose is pregnant' said Clamp silently.

D'Jok came in the door as Clamp said that.

'What?' he yelled.

'D'Jok, calm down, and try not to tear the black Manta apart' said Corso over his shoulder, intensely focused on Clamp.

Clamp smiled when he saw the young man.

'He's the complete oposite of Sonny at that age, even with his hair dyed blonde' commented the old man with a chuckle.

Corso chuckled too.

' Tell you the truth, I wonder how Sonny mangages to restrain himself from chocking his own son' laughed Corso.

Clamp laughed.

'You said Rose is pregnant? What are you going to do about it?' Corso asked.

He knew Rose would probobly not want to give birth to this child. But he was sure Sonny was already on top of the situation.

' Dame Simbai and I talked to Sonny about that. It's her choise to make. But Sonny told us to prepare for a termination of the pregnancy first thing in the morning. Thank heavens it's springbreak, and the kids aren't here' said the old man.

Corso nodded. Conditions like that would have made it far more difficult for Sonny to hide too.

'I'll call you in the morning' he said and ended the transmission.

Then, he turned towards D'Jok. From the looks of it, D'Jok was about to throw a fit. His hands were clenching.

' I swear Corso, I'll kill him for this' D'Jok said between grinding teeths.

Corso looked at him, and sighed.

'I think we already agreed that you're not to do anything D'Jok'.

'You agreed on that, Dad agreed on that. None of you asked me if I agreed, well, newsflash. I don't. Wheter you or Dad like it or not, I am going after him!' D'Jok turned to walk away.

He didn't see Corso jumping on his feets and launch himself at him.

The twosome ended on the floor, in a fierce fistfight. Finally, Corso knocked D'Jok out. He whiped the corner of his mouth dry of blood.

'Artie, Bennett, come here and take D'Jok to the hold, make sure the door is locked'

'Why?' asked Artie confused.

'For his own wellbeing first and foremost. Secondly, I don't want to explain to Sonny that I beat D'Jok senseless in an attempt to make his brain function normally!' said Corso.

'Ok, we got it. Artie, give me a hand here old boy. For a skinny guy, he sure weighs a lot'.

As the two pirates made their way to the ships hold with the unconcious son of the leader, Corso sat down in a chair.

'You owe me big time for this Sonny' he mumbled...

Hami was standing before his fathers grave. It took Sonny Blackbones two attempts to finish off Bleylock. If his fahter had been more carefull, he would have made it. But his ego grew too big, as was the case with many bad guys. He trusted the wrong people, and ended in the grave. But no one knew how his son swor to fullfill his fathers dream. Hami was planning on becoming the next supreme ruler of the Galaxy. He would need to manufacture flux. Unfortunately, the equippemt that his fahter had used to collect flux from the players in Netherball, had been destroyed. The pirtates doing off course. What Bleylock had failed to rid himself of, Sonny and his men had taken care of. If Hami was to carry out his plan, he needed flux, lots of flux. The players would never fall for a trick like netherball again. Hami knew he could manufacture flux himself, his best subjects was , he didn't know how to manufacture metaflux, or multiflux for that matter. But Sonny knew. And somehow, Hami needed to get him to tell the formula. How? Getting close to Sonny would be impossible. Especially now that he had abused Rose the way he had. But, Rose was not the only one that meant something to Sonny. What about his son, D'Jok? Hami clenched fists. He could let got of the brat, as soon as Sonny had done what he asked. They would all be dead after that anyway.

'He'll pay for this Dad. I'll see to it' Hami said...

Rose had a hard time swallowing the lump in her throat, as she listened to Sonny's story about Bleylock, and how he saw his own role could have effected him into becoming the monster that they finally defeated. She saw Sonny with new eyes, and a deeper respect and love for him than before, because of what he had gone through. Sonny wasn't just an amazing leader, he was far more than that. After all he had been through, he still chose to believe in the good of humanbeings. It formed him into who he was, the man she adored as a father figure.

Dame Simbai and Clamp brought what they needed to make sure the pregnancy was terminated. Sonny felt her anxiety.

'It's ok Rose, I'll be here, right beside you' he said and laid a hand to her shoulder.

'promise?' she asked.

'I promise' he confirmed.

Dame Simbai and Clamp scrubbed to make ready. Sonny helped Rose prepare. But, when Dame Simbai removed the covers, Roses eyes was wide open. Her face was the one of sheer fear.

'No, No, get away from me. Leave me alone!'

The panic grabbed total hold of her. Sonny rushed forth and grabbed her arms.

'Calm down Rose, it's ok, you're safe'

But as Rose was kicking and screaming, the covers fell to the floor.

Dame Simbai also had a frightened look in her eyes when she looked up.

Without a word, she grabbed a syringe, and sat it in Roses arm. In a few seconds, she was asleep.

Sonny carefully lay her down.

But he had seen Dame Simbai's look.

'What did you see?' he asked.

Dame Simbai looked at him. She anticipated the question.

'Sonny, you knew Bleylock better than anyone. Do you know if he was a pure breed or a mix?'

'Huh?' Sonny had to admit that the question confused him.

Dame Simbai could tell Sonny didn't see what she meant. She pointed to Roses abdominal region. Sonny gasped when he saw the distinct purple colour, indicating the presence of flux in her body.

'Bleylock is a mixbreed. He didn't tell me, or anyone much about his heritage, but that I was able to get out of him' Sonny replied.

Dame Simbai nodded.

'I'm not going to ask how you managed to obtain that information' she said.

Sonny's eyes narrowed when he thought of it. Preferrably, he would never have to tell anyone either.

'But.. this I've never seen before' Dame Simbai said thoughtfully.

Sonny walked up to her side.

'I have' he whispered.

A supressed memory, from a long time ago, surfaced.

' It's a slave symbol. If she escaped them, she travelled far to escape. Wich is virtually impossible' he whispered.

'Where does this symbol originate from Sonny?' asked Clamp.

Sonny stared at the mark for a long while, before he replied.

' The dark side, Bleylock's homeworld. The planet Gorn'...

_Unexpected? Not really. We can't forget that Rose has a hidden past. Because of her memoryloss, the pirates has so far not been able to tell this. But now, as Rose is the true hero, there will come changes following the rape. We'll see a different Rose, who's innocence is gone. She'll turn into a fiullbred pirate, with a desire for vengance. Sounds familiar? It's happened before, to someone else we happen to know very well. And what is it about Bleylock's heritage that is so important for Dame Simbai to know? Keep reading, and you'll find the answers._


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Past revisited

Sonny stared at the mark on the computerscreen. The slavesymbol of planet Gorn. There was no doubt. Rose was a lucky girl. Running from Gorn was near impossible. He closed his eyes for a second. Remembering his own visit to what he would later see as Hell of the Galaxy.

Somewhere, in the far distance, he heard a door open. As always, his muscles were ready to make a run for it whenever something like that happened. Survivval instinct. One that had kept him alive upp till now.

'Find anything Sonny?' Clamp asked as he approached his friend.

Sonny nodded.

'Yes Clamp, and it's not good news'.

Clamp stared at the image wich he had seen carved into Rose's hip.

'Planet Gorn, homeworld to Bleylock...' he whispered.

'He had secrets that he kept from Duke Maddox and Technoid' said Sonny, narrowing his eyes, as if he was looking for something more.

'Do you know something you're not telling Sonny?' asked Clamp, who noticed how his friend was looking for answers.

'Bleylock never spoke much of himself, on ny occassion. I still wonder what made him invite me along for that journey to his home..' said Sonny thoughtfully.

Clamp looked at him.

'This was before we met?' he asked.

Again, Sonny replied with a nodd.

'Something tells me you accepted the invitation. What did you learn while you were there?' asked Clamp.

'That some parts of the Galaxy is stuck in the past, and if you defy Technoid for long enough, you'll end up as a slave in the mineral mines of Gorn' Sonny said.

'He let you see these things?' Clamp asked surprised.

Sonny looked at him.

'It was hard enough to get him to show me his family home there, don't even ask what I had to do, to make him show me outside of the house' he said.

Clamp nodded. He hd never asked, but more and more led him to believe, that before this trip to Gorn, I'Son and Bleylock had gotten along well. In fact, he had seen them before the trip, but at the time, he didn't know I'Son. He had seen him come and often leave with Bleylock. And the rumours had it that I'Son was Bleylock's pet.

That had been at planet Technoid. When they met again, some years later, and made friends, I'Son had married, and relocated to akillian. But, something was changed. I'Son prefeered they never spoke of Bleylock, and had a sort of hunted expression to his face when the subject came up. Yarritt had seen it. The watchful eye, and the forced smile upon his friends face.

Then, they were labpartners on a few minor projects. Like the new formula for Nickelchrome. Talk about wain droids. They needed washing every day, and to avoid the metal getting destroyed, they needed a special formula that gave shine. Clamp remembered how that had started.

' Interresting project, but I don't see the need for everyday wash' had a younger yarritt Labnor said.

' you know Labnor, supposedly these are working bots of the mighty Technoid. And off course, representing the firm, they need to look clean and nice, so, it's down to us to see to it that they do, without rusty spots being seen' said I'Son. Infact he had sounded bored.

'And you're enhusiastic with the idea, I hear?' Yarritt teased.

'No, I had hoped for something more challenging' came I'Son's reply.

Clamp could remember that cheekyness that had been one of Sonny's early charracter traits, today, you couldn't see it, not unless you decided to look for it off course.

'Planet Gorn.. it's not like it has it's own natural flux, right?' he asked, and turned towards Sonny.

'It used to, then, with all the mixing, the pure breed was watered out, and the flux vanished. But, we've seen it before, fluxes believed to be lost forever, all of a sudden returning' said the pirate chief thoughtfully.

Clamp nodded. The pirates flux, the seed of Shiloh, had been thought to be one of those fluxes, untill Sonny, and a few other men had mysteriously gotten it.

Brim Balarius had trained the pirates affected, into harnessing it. And the seed of Shiloh was one of the strongest fluxes in the galaxy.

'The dark blast, the Gorn flux.. no one really knows what happened to it. It's believed that the flux vanished as soon as it turned destructive, but..' Sonny stoped.

'But, bleylock didn't have flux' argued Clamp.

'He did at one point, it was taken from him. Because he abused it on Gorn. Elsewhere, he hid the very fact that he had it' said Sonny.

Clamp could tell that he was reliving the memories.

'Up till that trip, I respected Bleylock. I saw us as equal, that we'd be there for eachother, and help eachother through the hardships that would follow' he said silently.

'Hardships? Sonny, what are you talking about?' said a confused Clamp.

Sonny looked at him.

' Remember, the rumours surrounding Bleylocks preferred choises? How we all speculated why he was never seen with a girl, and hung out with the young male students instead?' he asked.

Clamp nodded.

'I always had a creepy feeling that there was something not right, that he hid something' he said.

Sonny nodded it.

'Bleylock's entire life consisted of only three things, desire for power, evil spites, and the lust to abuse and control the ones he supposedly cared for. I thought I had him all wrong, and that was why I accepted the invitation to go to Gorn with him. But, I lived to regret it' he said.

Clamp looked serious.

'Sonny, you need to tell me, what you saw on that planet' he said.

'Gorn is one of the last in it's kind. They live like in the times when they kept slaves. The reason most inhabitants are mixbreeds, are because of their female slaves serve as the male inhabitants little love toys. I suspect Hami might be the result of such an interaction, but..it doesn't fit what I know..' he said thoughtfully.

'Sonny, the rumours of Bleylock preferring young men rather than women..' clamp asked

'Are true. It wasn't till later I learned that there are men among the pirates that escaped him, after brutal rapes that went on over long time. I didn't belive he was able to do such things, maybe I wanted to see some good in him, but when it comes right down to it, there is nothing good in him' he said.

Clamp felt like asking, but restrained himself. He had heard rumours regarding Sonny's relation to Bleylock too, but it was not his place to ask.

'So, Rose is a slave from Gorn?' he asked.

Sonny nodded.

'That's what it seems. And I understand well why she would run away from there, but what I don't get, is how she did it. She was younger when that happened, and certainly not able to plan this all alone. She must have had help' he thought out loud.

'So, now what? Dame Simbai will take care of the termination of the pregnancy'.

Sonny nodded.

' We got to find some way to restore her memory, and preferrably before we go to Gorn' he said.

'What? Sonny, you can't do that!'

Sonny looked at him.

' You lung Sonny. You will possibly make it in, but trying to get out again..it will kill you, you'll suffocate' said Clamp.

He had thought of it. But the pirates woul not know what to look for in gorn. They had never been there, and the ones that had, didn't live to tell about it. He was the only one that would know where it was safe.

'I'll have to take that risk Clamp. Too much is at stake here. And if Hami maddox is allowed to rule supreme...' he left the words hanging in the air, unspoken.

Clamp knew Sonny was right.

'Just promise me one thing Sonny, make every effort possible to return. I would not know how to fight Hami on my own, and be careful. You're the galaxy's last hope to stop this'...

Rose had expected to feel a sense of loss when she woke up. But all she felt, was relief. Hami had not succeeded. She would not bare his child. Now, she could focus on defeating him, and get him back for what he had done to her. Rose knew she was changed, just not in what way. If felt like a part of her was missing, gone. She could have blamed Sonny for coming to her rescue too late, but it would not be fair. Had they known where to look sooner, they would have come for her, and she knew it. She knew the rapes would continue to haunt her. If she closed her eyes, she could see the images before her eyes over and over again. Hami's vile smile, as he would hold her down, to get what he wanted. The pain when he did it the first time, the disgust for not being able to stop him. She wished she had been stronger.

'Feeling better?' asked a voice.

She looked up. Dame Simbai offered her a cup of tea.

'Better, now that that... thing.. isn't in me anymore' she replied as she took the cup.

' Normally, that pregnancy would not have been terminated, but because of the surroundings...' Dame Simbai looked at her.

'I'm not ready to become a mom in years yet, and when it's a Maddox who fathered it...' Rose was angry.

'I understand. I'll leave you to rest, if you need anything, just push the button' said Dame simbai.

When she turned to leave the room, Rose looked up.

'Dame Simbai?'

The herbalist turned toward the young pirate.

'Yes?'

'Thank you' Rose managed to smile to the woman.

Dame simbai nodded, and left the room...

Meeting with Hami this time would be hard. D'Jok had really worked to persuade Corso and the others to let him join this party Hami was throwing. He needed some fresh air, and to get away from Corso's watchful eye for a little while. Clearly, Corso had talked to Sonny, and the top duo seemed to be on the sceptical side of things now. But never the less...D'Jok and Artie had started as a team on this, and needed to finish it that way too, to avoid raising suspicion. But he was not let loose without stricht guidelines.

D'Jok have decided to show both Corso and his father that he could think for himself. Yes, he had made a mess in the past, but for how long were they gonna use that against him? Sooner or later, they had to let him try for himself, right?

'We're here Donny' said Artie, deliverately using D'Jok's covername to pull him back into the real world.

'Yeah'

They went in.

The cellar of the Maddox Villa was open to many tonight. One thing one could say about Hami, was that he knew how to throw a party. There was a great selection of fruits and other food, and beer was floating.

'Hey, Donny, Arthur, come over here' Hami waved them over, he was in the middle of a large crowd of girls. D'Jok wondered for a moment if these girls were hired, as somekind of decoy. Sonny had warned him of that possibillity.

'Hami will try for something during the party. The only reason I am letting you and Artie attend, is that he might speak of his plans, if drunk enough. You two will be the best buddies of his this time, pay close attention to every word he says' said Sonny.

They were about to do just that.

As the party went into late hours, Hami was way beyond wasted, and needed something else to get his high.

'Go find a girl and get laid' suggested Bron, a friend of his.

'Nah, it's not as exciting as the chick I did last time. She was a virgin' braged Hami.

Artie glanced over at D'Jok. He could see his fists clench.

Artie started to fear D'Jok would blow things up this time.

'Donny, notice that one in purple over there?' Artie said to distract him.

D'Jok hadn't really been paying attention to the girls, but now, he looked up, just to halfway seem interrested.

There was something familliar about this girl that Artie had pointed to. D'Jok had a second look. Then a smile formed on his face.

'You know Arthur, that might not be such a bad idea' he smiled.

D'Jok got up, and made his way over to the girl.

' Would you care to dance...Mei?' he asked.

'Why.. certainly..' Mei had all of a sudden noticed who he was, and the shock was written all over her face.

D'Jok barely managed to signal for her to be careful. As he knew Hami would be watching them.

'That dress is really you' he smiled.

It felt good being with his girlfriend for a few hours. D'Jok thought of introducing her to Hami, just so he could keep her close for the rest of the night, but remembered how Mei felt about Hami.

'Only one dance sadly' he smiled.

'So, you're working?' Mei smiled as they started on a slow dance.

' yeah, you know..' D'Jok said.

At times, it felt like it was only yesterday they fell in love, or, more, Mei's mother had set them up. Well, it had been her loss. Nowdays, Mei had become an adult and confident woman, who had freed herself from her mothers grip. It had taken Mei an long time to realise that she would never live up to her mothers standards. But when she had realised that, Mei had become the woman she was today, a gorgeous supermodel, D'Jok's girlfriend and a secret agent to the pirates.

But they had very little time together as a couple. D'Jok looked over at Artie. The dance was almost over. He had to return to the group now.

'Mei, I hate to do this..' he said in a sad voice.

Mei smiled. She knew his dilemma.

' You go D'Jok' she whispered in his ear.

D'Jok kissed her farewell, and returned to the group.

' Had a dance with the ice- queen Donny?' asked Hami.

' Ice- queen? The girl is steaming hot, I feel like I'm melting' said D'Jok

' Don't worry Donny, he calls all girls that rejects him an ice- queen' said Bron.

'And besides, that girl is already taken, and used. You don't want to have anything to do with something that was tossed away by a Blackbones' said Hami slyly.

' Hami, may I ask, what exactly is your problem with the Blackbones? I know Sonny is the chief of the pirates, but no one really ever gave a good explanation as to why he is wanted?' said D'Jok.

'Or his son' commented Artie.

'That's just the sappy old uncle of mine, that refuses to move ahead from the past. If he could pull it together, we'd have Sonny Blackbones captured in no time' said Hami.

' where would you find him? The shiloh Archipellago is big, with plenty of places to hide?' said D'Jok.

'We got our ways. If I ever came face to face with Sonny Blackbones, there is only one thing I'd like to ask him' said Hami.

'Really? What could possibly a poor pirate have that would interrest a weatlhy man like you?' said D'Jok.

Hami grinned.

'Oh Come now Donny. Before he became a pirate, he worked for Technoid. He was one of the best scientsists of his time. If his name was on the project log, no one even bothered to check the results, they knew he had already done it, before he turned it over' said Hami.

Artie was thinking to himself that there was plenty of questions Sonny would have liked to ask Hami. But hearing how relaxed the bastard was, made Artie realise just how roothless he was. Whatever he was planning was not good.

Hours later, and too much beer, made Hami shut the party down.

D'Jok and Artie returned to the Black Manta late at night.

The alcohol made them be less then silent when they arrived.

When they stumbled on to the ships commandcenter, they saw that Sonny had returned. And he did not look happy.

'Artie! D'Jok! What rules apply to a pirate when you're working under cover?' he asked, arms crossed over his chest.

'Dad..I..' D'Jok knew he had no good reply for this.

Sonny looked furious. D'Jok had never seen him this angry.

'Get to bed and sleep it off, both of you. We'll talk of this when you're sober again!'

Even Corso indicated that now would be a bad time to argue.

As D'Jok and Artie made their way to the bed bunks, Bennett came running.

'Sonny, Corso, come quick!' he yelled.

' What is it Bennett?' Sonny realised something was up.

' It's Rose, she is.. just come'.

They wasted no time and ran towards the bunk. They could hear her screaming from afar.

'Nightmares?' yelled Corso as he tried to keep up with Sonny.

But when the pirates entered, it was evident it was worse.

Rose was unconcious, hovering above the ground. A Thick black substance, thicker than the shaddows smog, and a lot more dense, surrounded her body.

Sonny's mouth fell open out of pure horrorn when he saw that.

'No, No, Not Rose'...

_fluxrelated? And why does this seemingly scare Sonny so much? And what is Hami planning on? And will D'Jok and Artie get out of this with just a lecture? And what about Rose? Who is she? And what is she? Continue to read, and answers will come little by little_


	14. Chapter 14

_Before we start of this chapter, this is a message for sayitasitis and randomer: You have your perception of who D'Jok is. That's fine, really. But realise that in this story, D'Jok is going through litterally a living hell. There is a lot of expectations put on his shoulders, from his father and his men, his friends from the old team has changed, and become more mature. What clearly didn't get through to you, is that D'Jok is the one that changes the slowest. All of that wich is going on, will change D'Jok, I plan to have him mature quite a bit, but it's not at the point in the story yet. Be patient, and I will adress the issue. And secondly, could you please enable pm next time you comment? I really don't like it when I can't explain what I see happening to the one that wrote. And now, the next chapter:_

Chapter 14: conflicts solved

Planet Gorn, dark, desolate, and gloomy. Sonny could see the planet in the distance. Even in the window, the planet's story, of slavetrade and suppression, lay like a thick cloud around it. Silently, the pirate chief let out a sigh. He had hoped he never had to see this place again. From what he knew, he could understand why Bleylock had become the one he had, but it was no excuse. He had been so naive, thinking his friendship, and love for him, could make him change into something better. He had been wrong. And when he finally realised that, he had already come to mean too much for the General. Sonny recalled the last argument between them. There had been a number of swearwords and accusations thrown. Bleylock had been more than normally upset when he left. Sonny shook the memories as he heard the door to the livingroom of the ship open. Corso came in.

' How is she?' he didn't even turn when he asked.

'Drained, it seemed that the pregnancy did bring forth a new kind of flux, one her body was unfamiliar with. But, she's back to normal now, if you can call it that' he said.

'Meaning?' Sonny looked up.

'She's changed Sonny, I don't know how to describe it exactly, you'll have to see for yourself' Corso tried to get out of this, he hated talking of things he didn't feel in control of with Sonny.

'Give it a try Corso' encouraged Sonny.

'She is sort of more emotionally hardened. It's like.. the Rose we all knew and love from the bottom of our hearts, is replaced with someone else, someone that wants vengance..' he sighed.

Sonny nodded.

'It's normal corso. The sad thing is though, we don't know what we'll find on planet Gorn. I feel like keeping her aboard the ship, while, you, Artie, Bennett and I go looking for answers' he said, tossing his bracelet in circles, a habit he had when he was thinking.

'Ok Sonny, you're the boss' said Corso silently.

But he did not like it.

They were making ready for landning now. D'Jok was not happy about his father asking him to babysit Rose. How come Artie was allowed to go and not he? It felt like Sonny put the entire blame for the drinking onto him. As he recalled, Artie had more to drink than him. The overall problem was that both of them got wasted. D'Jok knew what Sonny worried. They could have said something wrong, under the influence, and have blown their cover. If Bleylock had been dangerous to deal with, then Hami was two times as bad. D'Jok knew that the experiences he had with Bleylock had been scary, but he had known that he was protected. He had sort of distanced himself more, and focused on football. When he was too old to play football, he had finished his education. And then, as things grew worse for the pirates, with the ever increasing bounty for Sonny, D'Jok decided to go against Technoid in his own way. It had seemed as poetic justice at first, for what they did to his father and his men, but then, he became aware that his little groups actions did make an impact on the mighty Technoid. They off course, out of old habit, blamed his actions on the pirates. Sonny had laughed out loud when D'Jok had told him what they had done.

'D'Jok, what you're doing is dangerous. Be on alert son, the pirates don't mind taking the blame, but sooner or later, they will realise that this isn't us. That's when they'll start looking for you and your group'.

Back then, D'Jok had smiling been totally unaware of just how soon that would happen.

'I'll be carefull Dad' he smiled, and said goodbye. Sonny could never stay too long, as Technoid was constantly out looking for him.

But now, when he couldn't return to Akillian, without doing the same as his father, D'Jok felt belittled. He walked to the cabin wich Thran was borrowing.

Thran had decided to make things look like he was on a holliday, and was, as always, a major asset to the pirates. D'Jok sighed and knocked the door.

'Enter!' he heard Thran call out.

'D'Jok, it's great that you dropped by' smiled the former snowkids defender, as his former teammate sat down on the bed.

' Something wrong?' Thran asked when he saw D'Jok's face.

D'Jok sighed.

'It seems, I can't do anything right in my fathers eyes. When he's not here, at least Corso will let me try new things, but under supervision' he said.

'Trying to live up to your father is hard D'Jok, it's not an easy thing to do' said Thran.

'The worst, is that he doesn't trust me to be able to think for myself' said D'Jok.

Thran nodded. He could tell D'Jok was frustrated.

'You know, Sonny does care D'Jok. Have you tried to talk to him about these things?' Thran suggested.

D'Jok rose from the bed.

'I'm no good with these things' he muttered.

' sounds like you're not even trying' said Thran.

He knew full well that D'Jok had an ego that was above normal. They had played on the same team for years. What had happened, was that seemingly all the snowkids grew, and got more mature, the one that kept falling behind was D'Jok. Thran had sometimes wondered why that was. No particular reason stood out. Maya had tried to give D'Jok an upbringing that was as normal as possible. The other thing, could be the lack of a mature adult in his presence. As far as Thran knew, Maya never dated any men when D'Jok was young, and seemingly, she still didn't. What was with Sonny in that regards, no one knew.

Thran could see what D'Jok wanted. And also why it was so hard to get.

D'Jok had somehow never quite grown up from being the 16 year old striker, who all of a sudden learned that he had a father, not just any father, but the most famous of all the pirates in the galaxy, Sonny Blackbones himself. No one had asked how Sonny found out. But Thran suspected D'Jok knew.

Being the son of such an amazing guy as Sonny was sure to be hard. D'Jok wanted to be noticed, and have the same respect from the pirates as his father. Thran couldn't help but see him as a child, craving for a special kind of love, a fathers love, and respect.

Sonny undoubtedly loved his son. Thran could see it. It wasn't always D'Jok did, but everyone else. The overprotecting was Sonny's way to show things. Because of the situation, they really hadn't had time to bond like they should have. Sonny was always cautious, even in peacetime.

Thran knew D'Jok would be unable to bring himself to this. Maybe it was time to give his former teammate a push?

' D'Jok, don't worry about it. I'm sure Sonny has good reasons, maybe you just misinterpreted things?' he suggested.

'Hardly, he's treating me like a small child' said D'Jok.

'Well, think of something else then. Tia, Rocket, Ahito and I are working to put together a reunion of the old team. Rocket wants you to be captain' he smiled.

'Yeah, like that's gonna happen, you know I'm wanted, right?' D'Jok looked at his friend.

'So, if the pirates can play with masks on, why can't we?' smiled Thran.

D'Jok felt a smile take form.

'Let's see what we can do' he smiled...

Corso was feeling bad. In all these years, he had been obedient to Sonny, hardly ever doubted him, but this time, he had to opose him, for his own sake. Corso had heard Sonny's breathing deteriorate as they came closer. By now, it seemed he was having trouble breathing again.

Corso stared at the thick, black rings of something that looked like smoke. For someone healthy, this would be no problem passing through. But, at the time, Sonny was not even remotely near. Corso knew he had to go on and execute his own plan. He went to the command center. Sonny was checking the coordinates, clearly looking for an entrypoint. Corso pulled his breath deeply. This would seem like mutiny, but was necessary.

'Stop!' he said.

Sonny looked up.

'Corso?' the tone was a question.

'I can't let you do this Sonny. If we fly through with the Black Manta, you won't survive it' he told his friend.

'That's a chance we just have to take..' Sonny started, before Corso cut him off.

'Sonny, I have the outmost respect for you, we've been friends for longer than most, and gotten out of tight spots before, but I am not willing to put your life on the line for this' he said.

Sonny straightened up.

'You're committing mutiny here Corso?' he asked, as his eyes narrowed.

This came out of the blue.

'If that's what you want to call it Sonny. I will not stand here and watch you kill yourself. You're staying onboard Sonny, if not for anything else, then, your own safety!' Corso felt it hurt speaking like this, but he had crossed a line now, he had to follow through.

'You don't understand Corso, I have to go' Sonny said.

'No Sonny, you don't. We need you alive, your son needs you, Rose needs you' Corso said.

Sonny could see how several of his men gathered behind Corso, showing their support to what he said.

Corso said little to nothing, but Sonny didn't need words to understand what was going on with his friend. Even with just one eye, Sonny could read him. Corso hated this.

'Ok Corso, you run this operation then' he said.

Corso felt reliefed.

'Sonny, I'm sorry I had to do this..' he said.

Sonny patted his shoulder.

'No hard feelings. I'll fill you in on what you need to know. But you'll bring just one man with you. It looks less suspicious' he said.

Corso nodded.

'I have one in mind' he said.

Sonny frowned, there was something with the sound of this that he didn't like.

'Who did you have in mind?' he asked

'I want to bring D'Jok!' said Corso firm.

He could tell Sonny didn't like this.

'Sonny, if he is to become a pirate, he needs a real mission, not just undercover operations' he said.

Sonny nodded.

'He might get challenged into drinking duels, and D'Jok is inexperienced with that..' he started

' Sonny, you're not being fair to him. I've talked to D'Jok while you've been away. Give him a chance, he'll surprise you' said Corso.

Before D'Jok had been brought to live with the pirates, Sonny had been more relaxed. But having D'Jok with them, had changed Sonny. Corso knew he worried, and often unnecessary.

'Ok Corso, bring D'Jok, but make sure he stays safe'

'Sonny..'

'No Corso. I can't live with it if anything happens to my son'

Corso nodded. For the first time, since what seemed like forever, Sonny was showing signs of fear. The infamous pirate chief seemed to have a side to him that was hidden to most people, except the ones that knew him.

'He'll be fine Sonny. I'll give you my word, your son is gonna make you proud on this mission'

Sonny nodded.

'I'll go find D'Jok, I think he should hear this from me personally'

'Do that Sonny, and I'll pack what we need' said Corso.

He watched his friends back as he headed towards D'Jok's cabin. It was unusual to see Sonny like this. Corso understood he was struggling.

'Welcome to parenthood Sonny' he smiled...

D'Jok was looking through old pictures from the time of the snowkids. He missed those days. Things has been different then. The time he had a destiny to fullfill. Now, he wasn't sure what his destiny was. Was it becoming a pirate, or was it something else? D'Jok had never felt more confused. He felt like he did everything to make up for his mistakes, and still his father couldn't trust him. It made him feel sad. He knew Thran was right. Thran suggested they talk about it, and work things out. D'Jok didn't feel like that. His father should accept him for who he was, not what he could become. A light knock on the door, made him look up.

'Yeah?'

'It's me D'Jok, may I come in?' he heard Sonny on the other side.

'Sure Dad, come right in' he said.

Now what?

'D'Jok..' Sonny seemed to look for the words to express himself properly.

'Can we talk? Father to Son?' he asked.

'off course Dad, what's up?' said D'Jok.

What could it be Sonny wanted to talk to him about?

'D'Jok, do you feel as if I'm being too hard on you?' Sonny asked.

D'Jok didn't know what to say.

' It's not that you're any harder on me than anyone else dad..' he started

Sonny shook his head.

' D'Jok, be honest' he asked.

'Sometimes, yes' said D'Jok.

Sonny nodded, then he sat down on the bed.

'I know son' he said, staring at his hands.

'I just wish you'd trust me a little more' said D'Jok.

He tried not to sound harsh, but it was hard to do. There was years of frustration that threatened to burst out now.

'I have no excuse for that D'Jok. I'm not perfect, not in any way. I make mistakes, and when I do, I try to make up for them' Sonny said. D'Jok knew he was thinking of the Metaflux when he said that, and the disaster that had caused. Sonny had paid the price for that, and well beyond, and he kept doing it.

' How about, we start from scratch Dad?' D'Jok said thoughtfully.

Sonny nodded.

'I'm willing to try if you are son' he smiled.

D'Jok smiled.

' Let's try Dad' he said.

Sonny pulled him to his chest.

'So, are you going to act less like a redhead then?' he teased his son.

'Dad, it's not gone 5 seconds, and already you're breaking the agreement? Not a good start' laughed D'Jok.

' We'll have our fair share of restarts D'Jok, no doubt' laughed Sonny.

But then he grew serious.

'You heard of Corso's ultimatum on the command center today?' he asked.

'Dad, it's all over the ship, you'd have to be dead not to' said D'Jok.

Sonny nodded.

'Then, you know I'm not going to Gorn' he stated.

' Off course you're not. Dad, it would kill you' said D'Jok.

He too could hear the wheasing from sonny's lung when he was breathing.

'But, one of the smaller ships with be sent. And only two will be working there, unless he have to put in reinforcements'.

'You sound insecure Dad, what is it you're trying to tell me?' D'Jok asked.

Sonny sighed.

'I feel torn between the need to protect D'Jok, and your needs. Wich is why I let Corso take over this operation. It's dangerous, wich will require a debrief for the involved parties before departing' Sonny said.

'Dad, why are you telling me this?' D'Jok repeated.

'Corso sat up the team, wich left me on call here. He based that decission on my medical condition. But as far as the team goes, Bennett and Artie will team up as usual. For his partner, Corso came with a tough call for me' Sonny said.

D'Jok was still confused.

'Dad, what are you talking about?' he asked.

'Corso will be the A- team. He needs a partner he can rely on, who will do as he's told, without hessitation. Corso made a call, wich is somewhat scary for me' he said.

D'Jok looked at him.

'Corso chose you as his partner D'Jok'.

D'Jok all of a sudden understood.

' I won't let you down Dad, when is debrief?'...

_a very D'Jok centered chapter here. Not originally the plan, but from the critisim i got from two who failed to add a pm to write to, this is a compromise on my side. Do rewiew. But don't expect that i'll be trying to turn D'Jok into something I feel he is not. I see D'jok as immature, and i am not all certain he can change. So, I am now returning to my next chapter._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Corso's dark past

Planet Gorn was dark and gloomy where it lay before them. D'Jok looked out the window. How could anyone want to live here?

'Hang on tight D'Jok, we're heading into the membrane of the planet' said Corso, eyes on the controls.

D'Jok sat down next to him, and fastened the seatbelt.

'The air is getting hard to breathe' he commented.

'time for oxygenmasks' said Corso.

The twosome put the masks on.

A spark on the tiny holoscreen, indicated an incoming message. Corso turned it on, and Sonny appeared on screen.

' going through the membrane is hard on the lungs guys, I see you already put your masks on' he smiled.

Corso nodded.

'Anything else we should be aware of Sonny?' he asked.

'Yes, try to use the air to the max, you'll be in there for an estimate of 6 minutes, wich will seem a lot longer by the time you're through. Breathe calmly, and deeply, it will help you adapt to the climate you're about to enter. Oh, one more thing. Once you're through the membrane, it will be hard to maintain contact with the outside. Use only the transmitters in case of real important info to be delivered' Sonny said.

'Will do' said D'Jok.

Sonny nodded.

'Be careful, and stay alert. It's been a long time since I visited the planet. Things could have changed in either direction' he said.

'You don't know anything of todays situation, Sonny?' Corso asked.

'No, nothing Corso, it's up to you now'

'ok, pirate 1 out'.

Corso cut the transmission, knowing Sonny would now put the Black Manta into a stealth mode, to better protect them all.

He glanced over at D'Jok.

'For someone being allowed on such as serious mission as this for the first time, you're not acting really excited' he commented.

'I'll be excited once we find a way to deal with Hami Maddox and Technoid, perhaps then we could finally be able to sleep properly, without the fear of being constantly on the run' said D'Jok

Corso nodded. Piratelife still hadn't set properly on D'Jok, and being wanted did not help. Corso wasn't sure how to tackle things.

'I only wish Dad had prepared me more for this, rather than just come and get me like he did' D'Jok sighed.

'If he hadn't, you would have been a prisoner to Technoid by now D'Jok. I'm not saying what your group did was wrong, but you failed to cover your tracks. If we could find you within a range of five minutes, not even trying to look for you, it would mean you got too obvious. Sonny brought you here for your own safety D'Jok. Till that day, you were safe in Akillian, but when you failed like that, it was only two choises, either let you get cought, or bring you here. Sonny chose to do what any father would, by bringing you here' said Corso.

'You know Dad well Corso, is there any truth to the rumours that Technoid set out at all?' D'Jok asked.

Corso shot him a stare.

' I'll forget you ever asked that D'Jok. It would hurt Sonny more than anything else if he ever found that you doubted him like this. And to answer your question, No, there is no truth to them. The only reason, is that he knows too much for them to handle, that's what makes him dangerous to them. Sonny has more inside information on Technoid than they'll ever understand. When they chase us, we know it's safe in the galaxy. But the minute they stop giving chase, we start looking into things. Sonny has a sixth sense for these type of things. If he feels we need to investigate, we will. And that's why we're here, on our way to Gorn'.

D'Jok nodded.

' I wonder what we'll find' he said silently...

Rose sat in her bed, as Bennett checked her.

'She's ok now Sonny. Must have been a blowout what she went through' the pirate suggested.

Sonny nodded.

'What did I do? Did anyone get hurt because of me?' asked Rose.

Her voice was shaking.

'No Rose, don't worry, no one got hurt' said Sonny.

'Where are we?' Rose wondered.

Bennett and Sonny exchanged glances. From past experience, they knew it was dangerous to expose an unsuspecting person to things that could trigger emotional reactions. And with an unknown flux involved, it was ever more dangerous.

Sonny decided to break it to her as gently as possible.

'We're in orbit around planet Gorn, have you ever heard of it?' he asked calmly.

Rose's eyes grew big. Sonny braced himself for any kind of reaction. They had tried nearly everything to help her recover her memory, but it wasn't untill now, he could say that they actually got anywhere.

'No, not there, we must leave' Rose was pulling the covers tightly around her body, as if to protect herself.

'We can't just yet, Corso and D'Jok are there' Artie blurted out.

Bennett and Sonny rolled their eyes. It seemed some pirates just never managed to grow out of bad habits.

Rose's face went from worried to the one of share fright.

'Do you remember something from your past?' asked Sonny, sitting down beside her.

Rose looked at him. Sonny's calm presence made her feel safe again.

'It's stil just bits and pieces, I can't put it in order' she said.

'We'll help you, take all the time you need' said Sonny.

'But, the ship is in orbit, circling Gorn..' she said.

'No one will detect us. We're in stealth mode. The Black manta is the only ship in our fleet equipped with that particular feature. So, don't you worry about that Rose, that would be my job' smiled Sonny.

His words had the desired effect. Rose relaxed.

'It feels unreal, almost like a dream, and still, I know, somewhere deep inside, that those things happened to me' she whispered.

Then, she slowly began to share the memories that had come to her...

Dame Simbai was concerned. Brim Balarius, Master of the Flux society, had informed her that Rose's mix of fluxes had made a huge impact and registered. It left a distinct trail, Technoid had already prepared to go investigate. But both Clamp and Dame Simbai knew that was just a cover up. Technoid was in this for one thing only. They were out to capture Sonny.

Their problem was, apparantly, The Black Manta was in stealth mode, wich made it impossible to track the ship, but the flux use of Rose's, had given a clear indication as to the area they were in. Somehow, they needed to warn Sonny of the danger.

'It's no good while they're in stealth mode. No one gets through' said Clamp.

'I hope they get back online, before Technoid reaches them' said Dame Simbai.

'You're still worried for his lung?' asked Clamp concerned.

' I hope he will follow my advice' she said.

Clamp nodded. He too had heard the wheasing in Sonny's lung when he brought Rose there.

They had made sure to examine him while they treated Rose.

'That injury is a major handicap for him right now, if they're boarded, Sonny will be unable to outrun them. They'll capture him for sure' said Clamp.

'Keep trying to contact him Clamp, we have to make sure they know what is coming their way' said Dame Simbai.

They were through the membrane. D'Jok was puzzled. The planet that was hidden under the nasty membrane looked much like pictures of Akillian in the days before eternal winter set in.

' for something that looks that ugly when you see it in space, this definately looks far more inviting' he said to Corso.

The pirate just nodded.

He had prepared two pirates survivalkits. Sonny had told him what clothes they should wear, based on his experience. To corso, it sounded like Bleylock had tried to turn his friend into someone he was not on the journey here. Sonny had told him everything he remembered. Corso knew that Gorn was a planet based on old values, and that they had held slaves.

'To avoid drawing attention to yourselves, make sure not to intervine in any kind of corporal punishment, even when it's aimed at a child' Sonny had warned him.

Corso and D'Jok got changed, before they went outside, and camouflaged the ship.

Then, they started walking towards civilization.

The landscape was the one that you would have seen in Akillian in the summer, but without the scorchin' heat that was charracteristic to Shiloh. D'Jok had thought many times that for Shiloh city to be built, it had taken a lot of effort on the pirates side. Perhaps this would be a subject they could discuss?

'Corso..'

The second in command stoped for a sec, before he continued walking.

'Yes D'Jok?'.

'Shiloh City.. it's not been there for very long, has it? I can't recall having seen it in the Nebula during our first visit to the pirates..' D'Jok said.

Corso nodded, but with a smile.

'You're absolutely right D'Jok. Shiloh city didn't excist then. Back then, conditions were still unpredictable for us pirates, our cities, if you choose to call it that, consisted of tents. We had to travel light and be able to leave in a hurry. But, due to the truce we had with Technoid, Shiloh city was built during those years' Corso smiled.

'I remember Dad telling me that the organization grew as well back then?' said D'Jok.

'Yes, all of a sudden, being a pirate wasn't as bad, and we had many join our cause. Some of them left, when things got back to normal'.

'is there a norm for the pirates?' asked D'Jok.

Corso chuckled.

' You think the relaxed state, where you don't have to hide is normal for us? It feels unnatural if you can do that for a long while, the longer you've been a pirate, the worse it is to adapt' said Corso.

'So, Shiloh city was buildtduring Dad's reign then?' D'Jok thought out loud.

' out of neccessity. To provide housing for the new members of our organization'

'What about their families?' D'Jok wanted to know.

' some came to live in Shiloh, others, just like us that's been around for a while, have lost everything' said Corso.

D'Jok wasn't sure, but he felt like he had heard something sore and vulnerable in corso's voice when it was spoken of the families.

' forgive me if I seem rude for asking, but.. don't you have a family Corso?' he asked.

The question totally swept the feets from under Corso. It was like having infected wounds opened again, and the blood running freely.

'I had a family once, and two small children. Till the day that the damn Technodroids came and wanted my son as a childsolider. I oposed them. Young and stupid as I was. I tried to protect my family, but there was no way to protect them from Bleylock' he spat, clenching his fists hard.

D'Jok could tell that whatever kind of memories Corso was having, it was of the painfull kind. That seemed a trademark for the Shiloh pirates. Pain and misery under technoid's reign, oposing the enemy, and having to pay a far too high price.

'What happened?' he asked silently.

' Bleylock killed my wife, and my son and doughter. Just to make me remember what he had done, he made sure to claim my eye as a trophy. Injured, I still managed to bury my family. I swore revenge, to always opose technoid and fight them in any way i can, till my last bloodrop' he said.

Corso remembered in painstaking detail that night, seeing Marnie, his beloved wife, killed in front of him. Alynea and Aaron... tears threatened to take over.

'I left my home, and life as I knew it that day, and found my way to shiloh. I worked for Magnus Blade, when your father joined us. We didn't trust him at first, he really had to work hard to persuade us to giving him a chance. But I'm happy we did. Sonny changed things when we needed it the most'.

They continued the walk in silence. D'Jok saw Corso with new eyes. If his father had been through hell, what was happening with Corso was just as bad, if not worse. It seemed they shared many things in common.

After awhile, they came across a farmhouse. Corso was on alert. They knew nothing of these people. When even Sonny

didn't know anything, they were litterally blind. The man looked up as he hear them approach.

' Maggie, we got visitors' he yelled.

He didn't look like a slave, but his eyes told them that this man had seen many things, and was alert, just like them.

'name's Andour, who might you be strangers?' he asked politely, holding out his hand.

' I'm Darell, and this is Corleone' D'Jok said hastily, before Corso had a chance to speak.

From the looks of it, D'Jok knew Corso would tell him his honest opinion of the chosen name later on.

Andour nodded.

'You look like you're a long way from home, mind telling me your errand here?' he asked.

D'Jok looked at his axe, it looked razorsharp. He concidered making up some bullshit story, but from the looks of it, it was better to say the truth.

'I'm looking for information, about someone born here' he said simply.

Andour's eyes became watchful.

'Might be able to help you Laddie, but I'd need a name'.

D'Jok looked at Corso.

' Hami Maddox, happen to know him?' he said...

'They're unable to spot us Sonny, but they're still too close for comfort' said Artie. Thran had joined them at the ships command center. He didn't like what he saw.

' Be prepared, they might try to find ways to track us' said Sonny.

He wasn't prepared to tell the others yet, but the pain in his lung had increased. Breathing was becomig hard. He realised that they were circling too close to the planets membrane. It would be easier to breathe if they got some more distance. But now that Technoid was around...

Sonny was concidering the options. The Black Manta could easily outrun the technoid ships. It was only the ships they had stolen from Technoid that had been upgraded to a level where they could outrun them. The other option.. was surrenderring. Not very tempting.

'Can we in any way find out who's onboard the Technoid ships Artie?' he asked.

'No problem, got someone special in mind?' Artie grinned.

' preferrably Duke Maddox. If I'm right, he'll need our help soon enough, and that gives us a possibillity of negotiation'

Bennett nodded.

'We can't leave D'Jok and Corso behind' he said.

'And we're not, we're just..' Sonny started coughing.

He felt like he was choking. He tried to lean the weight over on his arms, but found that they failed to hold him up.

He could see the floor come towards him as he fell.

'Sonny!' Bennett stormed forth alongside Rose.

Sonny was unconcious, and the wheasing was sounding a lot worse than a few hours ago.

'Artie, prep the infirmary, Sonny is seriously sick..' yelled Bennett, as he carefully lifted Sonny into his arms.

Rose looked at him.

Sonny's face was kind of blueish, like he didn't get enogh oxygen.

'His lung is punctured. We need to put him on a vertilator and fast, if not, he'll die' she yelled.

Bennett just nodded, and ran towards the infirmary.

Things had just gone from bad to worse...

_the drama doesn't end yet. Will the pirates have to surrender? Will Sonny pull through this? And what will happen to D'Jok and Corso? Keep reading my dear followers, as the story is just starting to get interresting._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: planet Gorn

on Gorn, the farmer looked at Darell and Corleone,as the two men had introduced themselves as. He sort of knew they were pirates. He had heard of the Shiloh pirates before, once greedy robbers, who attacked everyone and anyone that travelled too close to the Shiloh Archipellago, wich was the pirates home. But, at some point, there had come changes in effect. He had heard rumours of a new leader. A skilled man. Not long after, the new leader of the pirates name became known. Sonny Blackbones, a roothless pirate said Technoid, but to the galaxy in general, it didn't appear like that. Under Sonny's reign, they attacked Technoid's ships, and technoid only. It was poetic justice. But Technoid retalliated. They made Sonny a wanted man, and put a price on his head. The farmer had seen the wanted poster many times. There was something about the pirate chief that struck him as familiar. He had seen him before, but where? Maybe these two could enlighten him?

'Hami Maddox eh? Why are you looking for him?' the farmer asked suspiciously.

D'Jok looked like he was about to blurt out with things, so Corso quickly cut him off.

' An old debt to be paid' he said between grinding teeths.

The farmer looked at Corso, his mechanical eye gave him an idea as to who this man was.

'Before I answer anything, I want to know where you two are really from, and what relation you have to this man. The Maddox's are not very loved around here, because of the family they put to guard things' he said.

'Really?that story sounds familliar' said Corso.

The farmer looked closely at him.

'Corleone, are you two from Shiloh?' asked the farmer silently.

Corso nodded.

'Not by choise, but by neccessity' he said.

'I see. Let's go inside. You ask questions that are potentially leathal around here. Outside, everything has ears, inside is still safe' he said.

Corso and D'Jok exchanged glances. Corso saw D'Jok aim his gaze at their hidden weaponry. They would be safe.

'Ok, lead the way' he said.

The farmer showed them into his modest familyhome...

The technoid ships was apporaching the black Manta. In stealth mode, the ship was fully invisible, to both radar and the visual eye. Artie was at the controls of the ship. Thran had agreed to stand in as co pilot of the ship, while Bennett and Rose tended to Sonny.

'Ok Bennett, we'll move out of the way of the technoid ships now' said Artie.

'Nice and slow Artie, no need to rush, they can't detect us' sounded Bennetts voice over the speakers.

In the infirmary, Sonny was lying in bed. To help him, Rose and Bennett had put him on a special ventilator, wich would also monitor his heart and lungs continously.

Sonny was slowly coming to. As he opened his eyes, he saw Rose looking at him.

'Sonny?' her eyes spoke billions.

His hand squeezed hers.

'I'm still here Rose, you know, I always pull through' he smiled.

He noticed the ships movement.

'Bennett?' his eyes pierced the pirate.

'No worries Sonny, we're just moving out of the way of a technoid convoy' he smiled.

Sonny nodded as he heard that. But when he tried to sit up, Rose grabbed hold of him.

'You lay down Sonny. It's better for you' she smiled.

Sonny sighed, but didn't argue.

'Bennett, make sure to reestablish contact with Corso and D'Jok' he said.

'Will do Sonny, you get some rest' Bennett said as he rose.

'Don't worry Bennett, I'll take care of him' said Rose.

Bennett nodded and headed for the ships command center, as Rose prepared a syringe.

'What's that?' asked Sonny suspiciously, when she approached him with it.

'Sleeping agent. You look like you need it' she said.

Sonny nodded.

' The nice way to tell me I look like a mess?' he said with a glimpse in his eyes.

'No, the only way to tell you, that you need to rest. We need you Sonny, and if you're to get better, you need to rest' smiled Rose.

Sonny smiled as she injected him in the arm. Rose watched as his eyes closed.

'You'll be allright Sonny. We need you' she said, as she checked the oxygenmask before putting it onto him.

After setting the alarm for the infirmary, she left the room, and the sleeping pirate chief...

The house looked smaller on the outside. The farmers family was inside the house. A young female and two kids were seen at the dining table.

'Andour, who's our guests?' asked the woman politely.

Both pirates could tell the young woman was suspicious. They wondered what had made her become this way. But, something told them, they would soon learn the answers.

'Mariah, this is Darell and Corleone, from Shiloh. They're here to pay an old debt to Hami maddox' said Andour.

'I've told you before Andour, no mentionings of that monster in this house' said Mariah.

Andour turned to his guests.

'Can I offer you something to eat? A drink?' he asked the two pirates.

' I'll gladly have a beer, if you got. Darell only drinks water' Corso responded quickly.

The look D'Jok shot him, could kill, but it didn't matter to him.

'Water will be perfect' said D'Jok.

He knew Corso still hadn't forgotten him and Artie coming back in, Artie had only been tipsy, whereas he...D'Jok knew he had taken the verbal beating from his father, because he went too far with the drinking. It was thanks to Corso he had gotten this chance to prove he could do things the right way. He wasn't going to mess up, not this time.

Andour led them to a livingroom, and bade them to sit down. He handed Corso a bottle.

Corso looked at it.

'Best beer you can find Corleone. Enjoy it' he said.

D'Jok accepted the glas of water Mariah brought him.

'Go get the children to bed dear, then come join us' said Andour.

Mariah just nodded and left the room.

'So, you're looking for Hami Maddox?, well, you won't find him here' he said.

'If not here, then where do we look?' asked Corso.

'Try Genesis. That's where he left for. Good riddence' said Andour.

'You wife doesn't seem to think highly of him?' said D'Jok.

'No one does. Hami Maddox should never have been born. If not for Annina Maddox, he would never have excisted' said Andour, clenching his fists.

Corso couldn't help notice the gesture.

'Something tells me, that you may have vaulable information,that could help us. The question is, can we trust you?' he asked.

Andour looked at him for a long time.

'You two are no ordinary pirates, and I don't think it's a pleasure visit you had in mind' he said.

D'Jok and Corso exchanged glances. Should they trust him?

'If we tell you more, I need some guarrantee you won't tell Technoid of our visit' said Corso.

'Pirates are a welcome sight here on Gorn. Not because of the potential bounty, but because of your connection with the pirate chief, Sonny Blackbones'.

D'Jok and Corso looked at him.

'I've seen his wanted poster for many times. I get the feeling I know him' said Andour.

'Have you ever met him?' asked Corso.

'I believe I have. But, when I knew him, he was younger, and perhaps in a far greater danger than he himself realised. He came here with the curse of the Gorn people, General Bleylock. But I might be wrong. That man was far too naive to be Sonny Blackbones' sighed Andour.

' Do you have a name for this man?' asked D'Jok.

Andour nodded.

'He saved my little sister, she's the key to the Gorn people's survival and freedom. We're not free on this planet. We live our lives as slaves to Technoid, and the Bleylock clan. I hope I'Son survived' said Andour silent.

Corso knew it was safe to trust this man. His instinct was nearly as strong as Sonny's infamous intuition these days.

'Andour, we've used cover names since we met. It's time we're being honest' he said.

D'Jok looked at him.

'Are you sure of this Corleone?' he said.

'positive Darell' Corso rose.

'My name isn't Corleone. My name is Corso, second in command under pirate chief Sonny Blackbones himself. My partner here, is the once famous striker of the footballteam Snowkids from Akillian, and the only son of Sonny Blackbones, D'Jok Blackbones. And you were right. The man you knew as I'Son, is none other than Sonny Blackbones in person'.

Andour sighed.

'You've come to kill Hami, haven't you?' he asked.

D'Jok nodded.

'Some 12 years ago, I acted stupid and Sonny had to take me to shiloh, for my own safety. On our way back, we found a stranded ship, with a young girl inside. She could not have been more than 10- 12 years old. Sonny decided we'd bring her to shiloh, as she had no memory of who she was. It wasn't till recently, we found the slave symbol for Gorn on her body' said D'Jok.

Corso nodded.

'She's been in Sonny's care ever since, as he took the role as her guardian'.

Mariah had entered the room. She let out a small scream when she heard this.

'She's still alive?' asked Andour.

There was hope in the farmers eyes.

'Yes' said D'Jok.

Andour leaned forth.

'I will tell you all you want to know of her, and Hami. It seems that finally, generations of suppression and misery may come to an end'...

Rose was looking at the planet. She couldn't explain it, she just knew, this was where she came from. She glanced over at the bed behind her. Sonny had been sleeping for hours, and his breathing was sounding better. The weasing was almost gone. That was strange thought Rose. When she listened, she couldn't hear anything. A naging sense that something was wrong made her approach Sonny. Sure, he was breathing, as his chest was still moving. It was just the wheasing that was gone now that he was lying down. Rose took the scanner to scan him. The results was encouraging. Sonny's eyes fluttered open.

'Hey there tiger' smiled Rose.

Sonny removed the mask on his face.

' any news?' he smiled.

'The technoid ships disappeared hours ago, Bennett wonders if we should stay in stealth mode' she smiled.

Sonny let out a laugh.

'He should be able to decide on that for himself by now' he smiled.

'How's the lung? You collapsed on the commandcenter of the ship' Rose was all of a sudden nervous.

'It's fine now, don't you worry' said Sonny, and attempted to get up.

It was hard not to admire him, when he rose from the bed. Dressed in nothing but his underwear, Sonny was clearly the kind of man that a woman would eye twice. But he was still weak.

Rose grabbed hold before he fell.

'You shoud perhaps get back to bed?' she suggested.

'No, I'm getting up' argued Sonny in a tone that told her he was teasing.

'Men! Stubborn beyond belief' Rose sighed.

Sonny smiled as he got dressed.

'Tell you what, I promise to sit down all the time, how does that sound?' he asked smilingly.

'Like a no do in your case' Rose retalliated.

Sonny's eyebrow shot in the air.

'You don't think I can do it?' he asked.

'I never said that' Rose laughed.

Laughingly, they both walked to the ships command center.

Corso and D'Jok knew they had to contact the Black Manta. The information they had recieved was too important to wait. But, was the Black Manta in stealth mode or not? None of them knew. And if they were, a call would expose them.

'We have no choise Corso, we must tell Dad what's going on, he probobly the only one that can stop this' said D'Jok.

'It's either that, or the end of the Galaxy as we know it' said Corso.

Andour looked at them.

'Hami should never have been born, all that resides in him, is evil'

The two pirates nodded seriously.

Then, Corso pressed the code to access the Black Manta's systems.

'Pick up Sonny, this is important'..

Bennett put the call through on the big screen. Sonny was sitting in the chair, to make sure he didn't stress the lung too much. Corso and D'Jok looked serious.

Sonny rubbed his chin as he heard what they said.

He turned to Rose.

'You got an important mission Rose, I should have known from the start. We'll mobilize all agents we have, we must find Hami'.

Sonny pushed the chair over to a panel that was locked with a key. He turned it, behind it was a panel, wich needed a code.

'I hoped it would never come to this' he sighed and pushed the last button.

A panel opened to reveal a weapon never before seen...

_So, it is serious. And the pirates now know Rose's mission in life. What the story is, is for next chapter to reveal. So, good? Bad? What would you say?_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Return to Shiloh

Duke maddox was worried. He had feared that his nephew was up to something, but it was becoming more and more obvious that he needed help dealing with it. It could be very lonely at the top in a company like Technoid, no one knew that more than Duke Maddox. He needed help from someone who knew how to stop a crime before it could be executed, someone just and righteous. Someone he had to admire in secret, because he himself had created the situation. Duke Maddox faced the facts, he needed Sonny Blackbones help. But finding the pirates would prove difficult, finding Sonny even worse. Even if he did manage to talk to one of them, there was no guarrantee he would put him in contact with Sonny, most likely, the pirates would shield Sonny's whereabouts from him.

'Your Excellency?' said a voice.

'yes, what is it?' Duke maddox looked up.

'You got an incoming call, we can't locate the origin, but it is supposedly urgent'.

Could it be?

'Put it through, on my private line' he ordered.

'But..sir'

'I decide who gets through to me, and not. Put this call through, That's an order'.

Seconds later, Duke Maddox sat infront of his screen.

It was blurry, with no clear image, but then the screen cleared into a crystal clear picture.

Duke Maddox smiled, this had to be his lucky day.

'Good evening, Your Excellency' said a familiar voice.

' Good to hear your voice,Sonny. How are you feeling?' asked Duke Maddox.

' Slowly getting better, Your Excellency. And you?' Sonny's image was clear now.

'I've been better, but you're not calling to chit chat Blackbones. What is it you need to tell me?'

Sonny's hazels grew dark.

'We have a problem, Your Excellency, and from what I know, I found it was justified to ask you to be on your guard' said Sonny.

Duke Maddox nodded.

'I've figured that much myself too. It involves Hami, right?' he asked

Sonny nodded.

'Hami would do well not to get to close to any pirate after what he did to Rose' the pirate said, clenching his fists.

'What happened?' Duke Maddox demanded to know.

'Let's say, when he could make himself rape Rose, there is few things I'd put past him' said Sonny.

'He did WHAT?' yelled Duke Maddox.

'You heard me. As I see it, that alone calls for open season on him where any of my men are concerned' said Sonny.

'You've grown soft Blackbones, Rose is just a student, hired to tend to you while you recovered'.

'She's a bit more than that, Your Excellency'.

Duke maddox completely misunderstood the situation.

'You're finally through grieving the loss of your wife, and started enjoying the company of a beautiful woman again, Sonny?' he said.

' What concerns my personal life in that regards, is not the matter here, Your Excellency. However, I have spent the last 12 years being Rose's legal guardian' he said.

Duke Maddox looked like he had hit him.

' There is no way you could be the legal anything to anyone Sonny, not as long as you're concidered a wanted criminal..' he started.

Sonny cut him off.

'This was not why I called. The pirates and everyone who is associated with us, will work to track down Hami. What should worry you, is that from the looks of it, it seems you're his main target' said Sonny.

'The injury must have effected you more than it seemed, Sonny. Or is it the medication that you're on that makes you see things that's not there?' asked Duke Maddox, not sure what to make of things.

'Sorry, Your excellency, but I don't use anything stronger than a glas of orange juice and herbs for these kinds of injuries' said Sonny, starting to find the conversation a bit boring.

Duke Maddox knew that Dame Simbai and Brim Balarius had once informed him of the contact between the pirates and Dame Simbai, with another case they had worked on. He wouldn't put it past the herbalist to make sure to equipp the pirates with harmless herbs for injuries like the one Sonny had sustained.

' and what do you want me to do, Blackbones?' he asked.

A smirk formed on the pirate chief's face.

'We need to meet, face to face, Your Excellency. The question is, should I appear as a hologram, or in person?' Sonny asked.

'I'll see to it that you have immunity Sonny' said Duke Maddox.

Sonny nodded.

'Good, I'll get back to you' he said.

Then, the transmission was cut..

Sonny was listening attentively as Corso and D'Jok, who had returned, gave their reports. When they were done, he rubbed his chin.

'Hami is his fathers son allright, it's almost like rewinding history' he said.

'Question now it, how do we find him?' asked D'Jok.

Sonny nodded.

' We'll go to Shiloh first, and then, we'll take things from there' Sonny said, before he coughed hard.

'You really need to rest Sonny. And from what I can see, you need medical help' said Corso.

'I'm fine' said Sonny.

'Eh, No, you're not Sonny' said Thran all of a sudden.

Four pairs of eyes were on him.

'Explain' asked Sonny.

'I talked to Ahito. You know my brother?' said Thran.

'Good old Ahito, how is he?' asked D'Jok with a smile.

'Busy, so he's taking some weeks off, to come to Shiloh. I told him of your injury Sonny, he says he can take care of things pretty easily' said Thran.

'What do you mean, easily?' asked Bennett.

'I was given a list of the things he'll need, to make sure this is the least of Sonny's worries' said Thran.

Corso looked at the list.

'Judging from this, he wants to close the injury from within, through surgery' he said.

'Wich, by the looks of things, is probobly the best' said Sonny.

Corso nodded.

'For how long will Sonny need bedrest after that?' he asked.

'Ahito said no bedrest, he has something for Sonny, that will accelerate the healing. A few hours tops'.

Sonny nodded.

'Corso, set a course for Shiloh, and tell the men to stay close to the ship as we get there, as soon as things are stabile, we'll be off, for Genesis' he said.

Corso smiled.

'Will do, Captain'...

Apart from footballmatches, Ahito had never been to Shiloh. It would be easy to get lost in here, if you didn't have a guide like Artie. Artie seemed to enjoy picking him up in the pirates astroport. Things had developed from the days of the snowkids being a new and unknown team. The people working on Shiloh were mostly merchants. The pirates had organized themselves well, and had made a headquaters in the town. The only thing that had remained the same, was the staus Sonny had as a wanted man, and his constant need to go under the radar. Ahito looked forwards to meeting the others, and D'Jok again. He wondered how D'Jok had taken it, becoming a wanted man, like his father. He knew D'Jok had dyed his flamish red hair blonde. He looked like a young version of his father now. Artie took him through the backalleys to black Manta.

'We're real glad you're here Ahito. Sonny needs to be tended to by a professional medic' he said.

'Rose is in medical school, she should be able to treat him' said Ahito puzzled.

' That may well be, but still, she is not licenced' said Artie.

Ahito could only nodd. The lack of a licenced doctor on Shiloh, was a problem for the pirates. One could hardly blame them for wanting one.

'How far has she progressed?' he asked.

'You haven't heard what happened?' said Artie surprised.

'Sorry, I've been too busy to actually read any of my mails' Ahito said.

'Fair enough. Talk to Corso and Sonny, they'll be sure to fill you in'.

'What exactly is wrong with Sonny?' asked Ahito, trying to get into his professional role again.

'He was shot in the chest, close to his heart. For a few months, he was technoid's prisoner, while he recovered. A few weeks ago, he managed to escape. But from the looks of it, being in orbit in space, isn't very good for his lung. He's had some minor problemes ever since' Artie informed.

Ahito nodded as he heard this.

'I think I know what's the problem already. What he needs is a small surgery, and he should be better in a matter of hours' he said.

'But, he'd still need to stay away from any direct combatsituation, right?' asked Artie.

A sly grin formed on Ahito's face.

' Not if he doesn't want to' ...

D'Jok and the others were treading a hole in the ground while they waited for Sonny to come out of surgery. D'Jok knew what an excellent goalkeeper Ahito had been back in the days, he only hoped Ahito was just as skilled as a doctor. He looked at the weapon that Sonny had shown them when they returned from Gorn. It was a multifuncion weapon, no doubt about it.

'Clamp had the original idea for it, I added a few smaller things, to improve it' Sonny had said.

'What does it do?' had D'Jok asked.

'It neutralizes any flux that is aimed at you. A powerfull weapon, in the hands of both good and evil' said Sonny.

'What makes you think we'll need it against Hami?' had Corso asked.

Sonny had just looked at them.

'Remember that Hami is the son of General Bleylock. He was a man without scruples in life, and, as you all know, very dangerous. We put an end to his terror, and his plan to rule the galaxy, not once, but twice, before Harris took over. We even managed to pull through and win that war. Both of these men, were the biggest threats to the galaxy of their time. But this threat is by far, several times bigger. Hami doesn't seemingly suffer from any form of madness, but he is after revenge for his father'.

Corso was puzzled. How in Shiloh's name had Sonny managed to pull that from the information they brought from Gorn?

'Sonny, what makes you think that?' he had to ask his friend.

Sonny had turned his back on all of them. They heard a deep sigh.

'I never speak of my past with Bleylock. Maybe I did wrong in doing so. In order to understand the evil at play, you have to travel to the point of origin, to understand how things came to be' Sonny had said.

D'Jok was shaken off his trail of thoughts, as Ahito and Rose came out of the operating room.

'How is he?' Corso asked.

'Don't worry, the anesthesia will wear off shortly. You will find that there is someone among us with healing powers. That person will finalize things' smiled Ahito, as he removed the sterile suit wich had spots of blood on it.

'Can I see him?' D'Jok asked.

'Be my guest' said Ahito.

Sonny seemed like he was sleeping peacefully in the bed. D'Jok only noticed a small bandage that covered the wound. D'Jok pulled a chair close, and took his fathers hand.

Sonny's eyes fluttered open.

'Dad' D'Jok looked for a way to hug him without inflicting pain.

'How do you feel Sonny?' Corso asked as he entered the room.

'Like I've been in a fight and lost' said Sonny.

'Oh, let me fix that' offered Rose.

D'Jok noticed a glow on her hands.

He looked at Ahito.

'She has healing hands, a gift that she had from birth on Gorn. It is still not fully developed, but it's getting there. The more she uses her abillity, the stronger she will grow' said Ahito.

Rose approached Sonny, who was now sitting up.

'This won't hurt Sonny, but prepare for scorching heat' she warned him.

Carefully, she placed her hands, directly above the wound.

Sonny felt a warm penerated the bandages. Not exactly uncomfortable, but not exactly pleasant either. He relaxed as much as he could. After a little while, Rose removed her hands.

'Now?' she looked at him.

Sonny took a deep breath, something that had proved hard to do these last weeks. It didn't cause pain.

'It feels good' he said.

Corso took the scanner to check.

'Completely healed from the looks of it' he stated.

Sonny nodded.

'So, what next?' asked Bennett.

'We mobilize all teams, on Akillian, Genesis, Shiloh, everywhere. We have to find Hami at all costs, and put an end to his plans' said Sonny.

All the eyes were on him.

'You know something?' D'Jok asked.

Sonny nodded.

'It's a long story, and not a pretty one. But for now, I knew Bleylock far better than anyone else in this galaxy. I could have stoped him from going down the path that he did. Bleylock transferred his anger and rage on the galaxy onto his son. It's too late for Hami to change. To save the galaxy from a far bigger threat than we've ever seen before, Hami Maddox must die' said Sonny.

A few hours later, the Black Manta was on her way to Genesis...

_Things are heating up. What does Sonny's past with Bleylock have to do with things? Sorry if this isn't as actionpacked as the last chapter, but things will pick up again, i promise. So, what is the verdict? Still worth reading? Or trash chapter? Tell me._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Broken Bonds

Sonny had recovered fast. He stood and watched out into space from the window of the Black manta. It was hard to tell what the pirate chief was doing. Sonny was dealing with dark memories, from a past he would like to forget. He dreaded it. But he had to tell why it was that he knew Bleylock so well, and why he could read Hami like he did.

'Sonny!'

he turned, to see Corso enter.

'Sonny, whatever it is you know, it's time you tell me' Corso demanded.

Sonny nodded.

'Bleylock..I know he's behind a lot more misery than it is possible to imagine. But, there is a reason for it'

'And you know what that is?' Corso asked.

'Yes, like I have known for many years. Wich was why I was willing to pull all the stops, to save him'.

The shock was painted on Corso's face.

'What are you saying?' he nearly yelled.

'Calm yourself Corso, it's not like it sounds' said Sonny.

'Sonny, I know, as well as you do, what man Bleylock was, and from the looks of it, Hami is as near a clone of his father as you could come. What made you think he could be saved?' asked Corso.

Sonny walked towards the window of the livingroom of the ship, back facing Corso.

'Corso, very few outside the Bleylock's themselves, know anything about life on Gorn, or how split that family is. Bleylock brought me there, for a visit, as he wanted me to help him formulate something that would allow for crops to grow. Or, rather, that was his excuse for bringing me with him to the family home. In reality, he wanted me to see how things were really like' Sonny said.

'He chose the right scientist to tag along allright. What did you find?' Corso wanted to know.

Sonny had a look in his eyes that showed that he was far away, in throughts of the past, when he spoke.

' What I saw, made me realise, that Bleylock was looking for reccognition, from his father. A reccognition he never had, or got. What went on in that fortress.. it was horror beyond your worst imagination'

Sonny closed his eyes for a sec. He recalled all the scared looks of young girls, dressed in little other than what could be taken for a bikini. Being who he was, he at least had the shame to look down. Wich had not gone unnoticed by Bleylock's father.

'What's the matter I'Son? You don't see any women here that you would fancy?' he asked.

'Sir, I'm a scientist, the love in my life, is for the science alone' Sonny had responded.

'Science is a good thing, but it leaves the bed cold and lonely, if one becomes married to the job' said Bleylock's father.

'For the time being Sir, that situation suits me just fine. I'll have all the time I need for..other relations, later in life' Sonny said.

He felt Bleylock's father's gaze burn in his back as he left. Later, Bleylock had come to his room.

'I'Son, I'm happy I brought you here, but be careful around him'

Sonny had sensed that something about his father, scared Bleylock.

'Bleylock, I respect all living beings, but staring at a female, dressed like that, feels wrong to me' Sonny had replied.

Bleylock's eyes had grown soft.

'If only everyone was like you I'Son.. I just wish..' Bleylock had stoped himself, like he was afraid to continue.

'I'll be back later I'Son, I have to attend a family meeting'.

'Ok, I'll get started on why you brought me here. Anywhere you want me to start?' he asked.

'You choose I'Son. I have full confidence in your skills'.

As they parted, Sonny had dressed himself in clothes that would be suitable for the climate. Wich was the reason the wound the whip had left on his arm, had grown infected. Sonny realised, that the people of Gorn had seen him, and knew of him. And they were in the need of help already. But who could reach them? As a general of Technoid, Bleylock had the resources to shut down all attempts of outside help. Gorn became the lost planet that the galaxy never heard of. It was a nation of slaves, Sonny had realised, the young females, were victims of repeated rapes by the male Bleylock heirs. Hami had been residing on the planet for a long time, Bleylock's way to keep him under Sonny's radar when the friendship broke.

Sonny remembered this part all too well.

Bleylock had made no efforts to hide the fact that he prefeered both men and women when it came to what went on inside the bedroom. Sonny had thought this to be just rumours, untill the day Bleylock wanted to confide something to him.

Sonny could tell Bleylock was upset with his father. He had pretended to be sleeping, as Bleylock had told him he worked too hard, and offered him to borrow his bedroom for a nap. He had heard the argument.

'You better get back here, your bride is waiting for you' thundered his father.

'I've told you, I don't want to get married' replied Bleylock.

'I decide who does what in this family. If you're not into this girl, then who? Not this young scientist you brought by any chance? What was his name again? I'Son?'

The mentioning of his name, had made Sonny wide alert. What in the galaxy was going on? He listened to the conversation in the nextdoor room to get a sense of what was going on, maybe there was a way he could help the general?

'I'Son is just a friend, Father, but in some ways, he is more family to me, than you ever were'

Sonny could hear Bleylocks voice breaking up, as if he was about to cry.

'So, it's him that you're in a relationship with then? How are you to produce heirs that way?' Thundered his father.

'We'll speak of this later, Father. I got other things to do'.

Sonny could hear Bleylock turn the transmission of. Then, followed a sound he had never heard before. Sonny got out of te bed, and silently walked into the livingroom.

'Bleylock?'

The general hid his face in his hands.

'I'Son, what are you doing up?' he asked.

Sonny laid a hand to Bleylocks shoulder.

'I accidentally overheard the conversation. Things aren't what the family want them to be right? He asked.

Bleylock smiled, a rare smile. At that very moment, Sonny felt like they connected.

But in a not too distant future, he was introduced to Bleylock's other side. All the bad things he had heard when with friends was confirmed. Sonny too fell victim to bleylock's evil side.

Sonny recalled the restraints, the pain that the wounds had caused. Bleylock had revealed his love for him, at the same time as Sonny had met someone, the sweetest and most caring female he had ever laid eyes on.

As he was shy, his friends had helped him, but setting them up, and having them go on a blind date. A date that had turned out far better than anything else. Sonny still remembered that date, as one of the happiest memories in his life.

'Oh come on I'Son. You'll grow an umbillical core with the lab if you don't start getting out soon' teased Aaron.

'I'm perfectly happy with things the way they are' said Sonny, as he was packing up his things.

Aaron shot him a gaze that said clearly what he thought of that.

'Bleylock is making you a prisoner of your own genious I'Son. Tell you what, I won't ask again, if you just do this once' he said.

' I'm too shy, what would a woman see in me anyway? A sciencegeek?' asked Sonny.

'Oh will you stop, it's really simple I'Son, all you have to say, is yes or no' Aaron said.

'If I agree, will you stop naging me?' Sonny said.

'Do this just once, and I promise not to ask you again' Aaron promised.

Sonny recalled how his friends had pulled him from the lab, and back to the dorm. They had litterally picked apart his wardrobe.

Objections on his side had been futile. His friends had pulled him out for shopping.

'Unlike the rest of us, you actually do make some money out of things, you can afford to dress well' they had argued.

Off course, it had been the best of the best. Sonny had no choise but let his friends take care of things.

He had been told to meet at the most expensive resturant in the Technoid planet. A place he knew well, as he had attended several buisness dinners here with Bleylock.

But this time was different. This time, he wasn't here with Bleylock. He was here alone, to meet a female he had barely spoken two words with.

Niobe Walhand was her name. A second year medschool student, through the science program of Technoids. Sonny had feared that the conversation would be difficult, that they would have nothing in common.

He had been wrong. Niobe was sweet and loving, and wanted to know more of his work. Then, she would tell him of her studies. Sonny could see the shine in her eyes as she spoke of medical science, and the importance of her work. He knew, like for him, the skies was the limit for how far she could go, all she needed, was the support and financial fundings, and she would be the best in her field.

To Niobe, Sonny was the perfect gentleman. He followed her home after the date, wich had included a three course dinner and a movie. When they reached her door, Sonny noticed her dorm wasn't far from his.

'You live on campus?' he asked.

'Anything else would be crazy, the rent is low, and we got all we need here. And it's close to the labs' she said in a sweet voice.

'Don't tell me, you hide in the labs all week long, only to be the queen of the technoid nightlife on the weekends?' Sonny had asked with a smile.

'Oh, I'Son.. you're such a teaser, From what I understood, it's describing yourself you're doing now' Niobe said.

They had laughed a little at that.

'Thank you for this evening I'Son. I enjoyed it' she smiled.

'the pleasure is all mine, Niobe' Sonny had smiled.

That had been the start of the end of the friendship with Bleylock. It didn't take him long to notice that I'Son wasn't home at nights, like he had used to be. A few inquieries led General Bleylock to discover Sonny's dating with Niobe. And that was when the dark side surfaced. Bleylock was jealous of Niobe, he felt the friendship he and I'Son shared, was suffering uinder it. As soon as Sonny noticed Bleylock pulling away, he decided to intervine.

'Talk to me Bleylock, I can't help you if you don't' he had said.

'You're just like everyone else I'Son. Now that you found a girl, you're leaving me behind for her'.

'Bleylock, it's true that I've met someone, but that doesn't mean our friendship has to end' Sonny had argued.

'I trusted you I'Son. I let you come close, thinking you'd be the one that would never hurt me, that you'd never leave me' Bleylock said.

'I won't, we'll remain friends Bleylock, I promise, I won't leave you'.

Bleylock had looked at him, a strange glow in his eyes had made Sonny feel shivers down his spine.

'Will you prove that to me I'Son?' he asked.

'Tell me what you had in mind' Sonny had asked.

'Come to my appartement tonight, and I'll show you' Bleylock said.

Even though his gutfeeling had warned him that something was wrong, Sonny had gone to see Bleylock that night. It had been a mistake, a big mistake.

Bleylock had been nice enough when he arrived, making sure I'Son's favourite was on the table. He should have seen the signs that something was wrong.

But too much alcohol had slowed him down, he wasn't used to drinking.

Bleylock took advantage of his incapacitated state.

Sonny got to see the beast, in all it's horror.

Bleylocks alleged taste for both genders became evident. Bleylock wanted to make sure he wouldn't leave, by forcing him into a relationship.

'Bleylock, no, I can't' Sonny had said, trying to stand up.

The cursed alcohol made him react far slower than he had before.

'Oh, but you will' smirked Bleylock.

It ended in a fist fight, a fight that Sonny lost.

Bleylock claimed his victory, and the night was one Sonny definately wished he had never had to live through.

He had worked through the rapes, as several pirates had come forth and told a simmilar story.

'Hami is trained not to trust anyone, to avoid becoming hurt, like Bleylock did, when he trusted me' Sonny said.

'Sonny, it's not your fault, how were you to know he'd do those things?' asked Corso.

'It wasn't till we decided to marry, he tipped over. Accusing me of breaking the final bond' said Sonny.

'If you would have stayed, what do you think he would have done to you Sonny? He would eventually have killed you' said Corso.

Sonny's eyes narrowed.

'He wouldn't have had to Corso, he killed I'Son, the minute he shot down the ship wich held Niobe and unborn D'Jok, all the last bonds were broken. After that, there was no turning back'.

Corso placed a hand to his shoulder.

'It was about time you told me of this Sonny, hopefully, it will make you feel better about things' said Corso.

Sonny nodded it.

'It's hard to talk of...ceratin parts of the past still' he said.

'But you're starting to work on it Sonny, it's a start, we're all here to help you' said Corso.

Sonny smiled.

'Well, it pretty much summs up why Hami turned the way he did. He's out to fullfill his fathers dream. A dream that it is up to us to put an definate end to. And wheter we like it or not, it's down to us, to protect Duke Maddox from a nephew far more dangerous than he can imagine'.

Corso nodded.

'sounds like you got a plan?' he asked.

Sonny nodded.

' I got more like three plans, we'll see wich one to go for. But the first thing we absolutely must do, is track down Hami, and stop his plan for making metaflux'.

'How would he do that Sonny, you're the only one that knows the entire process' said Corso.

'He knows how to Corso, How, I don't know yet. But, if Harris was a threat to the galaxy, Hami is ten times as dangerous'

'We dealth with the bad guys before Sonny' smiled Corso and placed a hand to his best friend and leader's shoulder.

'And we will do it again. Contact all agents, near and far, tell them to look everywhere, even the most unlikely of places'

'Will do Sonny!' Corso headed for the ships command center.

Sonny slowly followed. Never before had the galaxy been in such an immense danger. As they could see Genesis in the distance, Sonny ordered stealth mode to be engaged. When they landed in genesis, the time was ticking...

_perhaps a bit boring chapter, but a necessary one, to explain the complexity of Sonny and Bleylocks past, and why it is Sonny is able to predict what lies ahead. So, is the story behind here believable, could it gave gone down like this? What would you think?_


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: on collisioncourse

Sinedd had never thought he would ever be helpfull to the pirates. Even he had to admit that he owed them. If Sonny and his men hadn't intervined, no one knew what would have happened. So, Mei's request have been unexpected, but a welcome chance to pay of that debt.

'Who's gonna be our contact?' he asked Mei.

'I don't know yet, most likely Corso or one of the others' she replied.

'So, Sonny won't come out of hiding then?' Sinedd was disappointed.

'It would be too dangerous for him, as it would for D'Jok' said Mei.

'I haven't seen D'Jok in ages, where is he hiding?' asked Sinedd.

'You know D'Jok is wanted by Technoid now, Sonny intervined, it's good for D'Jok, last thing I heard, is he is maturing, now that he has to earn his fathers respect' said Mei.

'I would have thought D'Jok already had that' said Sinedd.

'No, with Sonny you really have to work hard to earn respect. But, he's safer there than he would be here'.

Sinedd nodded.

'You two seemed to patch things up nicely, after we separated' he said.

Mei lowered her sunglases.

'You know Sinedd, you and D'Jok really aren't that different from eachother, perhaps that's why I connected with the both of you?' she wondered.

Sinedd took a sip of his coffe.

'you want me to cooperate with Sunja?' he said.

'Sonny wanted all of us to operate two and two, at the least, prefeerably in teams of four. I understood this mission is dangerous, so it's how he looks out for us' she replied.

Sinedd looked at the photo Mei had brought of Hami.

'This looks like a guy from my kind of crowd, maybe I should try to befriend him?' sinedd suggested.

Mei looked at him.

'This man is dangerous, you don't want him near Sunja, or any other female for that matter' she said.

Sinedd nodded, he had been informed of what Hami had done.

'What's Sonny Blackbones gonna do about this?' he wondered.

Mei looked him deep in the eyes.

'Sonny will take care of a most dangerous mission himself' she said.

'like what?' Sinedd wanted to know.

'He'll talk to Duke Maddox, personally'...

Things were starting to heat up. Hami didn't know what his uncle knew, but from somewhere, he had learned that there was cause for alarm. Well, it didn't matter, not all that much. Hami had several ways to attack. He wasn't sure he could trust Arthur and Donny either. Especially Donny. There was something about him that was suspicious, only, Hami couldn't put his finger on it. Came to think of it, so was this Arthur. They couldn't be pirates? If so, they both worked for Sonny, and Sonny had more than enough reasons to go after him, after raping the girl he had taken the responsibillity for. Hami knew he wouldn't be safe for long. When Sonny Blackbones started interfeering in your buisness, you were faced with two options. Either, stop what you were doing, or you tried to overpower Sonny. The latter had been attempted before. His father had come close to killing Sonny at least twice, unsuccessfully. Instead, Harris had betrayed him, and kept Sonny from capturing his old nemesis. Hami's only regret was, that Sonny himself had survived. Sure, even Harris had tried to rid the Galaxy of the notorious pirate, by having him poisoned, not even that had worked. Hami knew, if he had taken a better shot, he could have succeded where his father and Harris had failed. But his stupid uncle wouldn't let him. Instead, he had taken Blackbones to his home, for medical treatment. Boy had he been stupid. He tried to make Rose dependant on him, by using her as a nurse. Off course, now that he knew Rose shared Sonny's last name, it made sense that he would do anything to keep her with her studies, alongside nursing him. And he had thought they were having a little on the side. His fault. Rose would never have given herself to someone that close to her, or that much older. From a feamle point of wiew, Blackbones would be attractive, if you took the fact that he was wanted aside. For some reason, the people of the galaxy never responded to the ever growing bounty for him, it felt more like they were protecting him. Hami cursed out loud. Off course, that was it. But it wouldn't last for long. As soon as he could fabricate enough metaflux..

'You're just running around in circles Sonny Blackbones, you won't stop me' he laughed...

The pirates was searching Genesis stadium for Hami. But, he was indeed like his father, a rat, and he was playing hard to find.

'I wish I had a rat collar for that little bastard' growled Corso.

'Well, we won't find him unless we keep looking' said Rose, who was checking the walls of the tunnel on sublevel 8.

'You sure you ought to take part in this Rose? After all, what he did to you.. it could end in reactions you don't control' corso said, clearly worried.

Rose struck a finger along his chin.

'Corso, remember, I'm a pirate, just like you. And on top of that, I am also a Blackbones. I'll handle it. What matters is, I get to pay him back for that' said Rose.

'I still don't think this is a good idea. I'd feel better if you were in the ship with Sonny'.

'There is no telling wheter Sonny is aboard the ship at all Corso. You know how he is, when he makes a decission for anything, there is no stoping him' said Rose.

'Wich is more than enough cause for concerns sometimes. I wish he's talk to me in advance, rather than putting himself at risk'.

Rose had to agree with Corso on that last part.

'All we can do Corso, is protect him. And trust that his luck hasn't run out yet'..

Mei was waiting for her assigned partner at the Genesis coffe bar. She had concidered going to the Ripple club ( the name of the pirates bar in Genesis), but found that she could easily be followed. One thing she did not want to cause, was Sonny's capture. The times she had met him, had made her come to care alot for the pirate chief, her father in law to be. Sonny also had whits, and it was in truth very interresting discussions they could lead. Mei recalled, when she and D'Jok lived together, D'Jok had at one point gotten sick. The fever had pulled in his body for days, and left him dehydrated and weak. Mei had been severely worried. But when D'Jok was at his weakest, they had visitors. Sonny had come by, accompanied by Corso.

Mei had let them in.

'Mei, I heard from Dame Simbai about D'Jok's illness. How is my son right now?' Sonny had taken her hands, and he felt the shaking all through her body.

' He's weak, and sweating, like he has been for the last days Sonny. It's hard to get him to even drink anything. I'm worried' she told them truthfully.

Sonny had nodded it.

'Tell you what Mei. Lead the way, and I'll see what I can do' said Sonny.

'But.. you're no doctor Sonny..' Mei said.

'True, but I am a scientist, wich for D'Jok, is the second best thing' he smiled.

Mei had shown him to the bedroom, she had stood in the doorway, and seen the two pirates work on D'Jok. Sonny seemed to have skills that surpassed what one could expect from a scientist. The twosome had stayed for as long as they dared. Hours later, D'Jok felt better.

'Dad..' he managed to whisper.

'I'm here son, you make sure to rest. You should be back to your old self within a day or two. But as of far, stay in bed and conserve your strenght, I'll come back as soon as I can'.

As silently as they had come, the pirates had left in the dark.

Mei Checked her holowatch. Who was it that would come? She knew nothing. A light tap to her shoulder made her jump, burning herself on the coffe.

'Do you mind?' she started, then she saw who it was.

'D'Jok!'

D'Jok smiled. It felt like ages since they had any time alone together, time to be just the couple they were. Mei smiled too.

'Who's idea was it to have us work as a team?' she asked.

'I'll give you two guesses' smiled D'Jok.

He would still wear a cap and glases, to give himself a light disguise.

'Corso?' said Mei.

'Nope, call it a reward for a job well executed. Dad's decission this time' said D'Jok.

'Remind me to give him a hug for that later' said Mei.

D'Jok laughed.

'He'll be sure to collect on it too' he smiled.

They smiled as they finished their coffe. Then, they made ready to leave, to start searching their area. Mei looked at D'Jok. He seemed changed, and then, she didn't think of his hair. There was something else. Mei tried to put her finger on it. As she walked beside D'Jok, she looked at him. What was changed? It wasn't till D'Jok looked at her, she knew. His eyes.

'D'Jok, you seem changed?' she said.

D'Jok stopped, and leaned against the wall.

'I've seen things Mei, I've seen the kind of things that Technoid is deliberately strangling the planet from letting out. I've seen the life of a slave nation, under the Bleylock's command. A girl like you, they don't get to choose their lives, to follow their dreams. If they're born girls, they're treated as livestock for the bleylocks on planet Gorn' D'Jok said.

'Planet Gorn? That place is just a myth D'Jok' said Mei.

'That's what technoid and the Bleylock family wants you to think Mei, I know it excists, I've been there, with Corso' said D'Jok.

'What i saw..' D'Jok stoped. Mei could see tears in his eyes, unusual for D'Jok.

She laid a hand on his arm.

'D'Jok?'

he looked at her.

'What was it like? What did you see?' she asked.

D'Jok sighed.

'A nightmare, one I will struggle a long time to get rid of' said D'Jok as he pulled her close.

Mei understood that something bad had happened. D'Jok never ever cried, but this time...she knew whatever had caused him to feel this way, was bad.

'We'll free them, together' she whispered...

Duke Maddox had this strange feeling that something wasn't right. Hami had been gone for days, with no sound. Did he suspect the ongoing investigation? Duke Maddox finished his lunch. Bleylock had bad influence on the kid, that much was certain. But ever since Sonny had escaped, Duke Maddox had felt more threatend in his own home. It was like if Sonny's share presence in the house, alltough sick, had kept Hami from attacking him. Why did he never learn. He looked at a list of projects, never finalized. They all had one thing in common, the scientist who was in charge. All carried Sonny's signature. A buzz on the door, made the duke look up.

'Hami! Where have you been?' the duke rose.

'Shut up and sit down you fat old clown' hissed Hami, pointing a laser at him.

'What's the meaning of this? Are you cray?' Duke Maddox demanded to know.

'Not at all uncle, infact, I have never seen things more clearly!' Hami said.

'What is the meaning of this?' Duke Maddox demanded to know once again.

'You've been the head of technoid for decades uncle, and yet, you fail to make any progress on anything. For how many years have Sonny Blackbones been wanted now? You had him right where you wanted, and still you let him get away'.

'We'll get him' hissed Duke Maddox.

'Ha ha ha, how pathetically naive you are Uncle, almost as naive as the pirate chief himself. Can't you see that Sonny is protected by the people? The bounty standing for his capture is at a staggering 12 million standard credits, and no one supposedly knows anything about his whereabouts? Don't you find that a bit odd?' Hami asked.

'At least, Sonny had cause for what he does, wich is something you seem to lack' thundered Duke maddox.

He tried to rise from his seat again, but fell back as he saw a glimpse in Hami's laser. All of a sudden, his chest felt wet.

'You shot me' his voice sounded unnormal, like in a kind of shock.

'Your time on the throne is over Uncle, it's time for me to take over' said Hami.

Duke Maddox felt as if the life was floating out of him. He wore a special button on his wrist, he managed to press it.

He had never ever imagined that he would depend on the pirates to save his life. If only they would reach him fast enough...

Aboard the black Manta, every onboard pirate jumped when they heard the alarms go of.

'Sonny, who's signature code is that?' asked Corso.

Sonny looked at him. His eyes had grown narrow.

'It seems Hami struck sooner than planned. We must be right on his tail'.

'You tagged Hami?' Corso sounded doubtful.

'No, I didn't get close enough without looking suspicious. The signal though, is family to Hami' said Sonny.

'Then, who Sonny?' Corso looked at him.

'Duke maddox, something must have happened in the villa' said Sonny.

'And what do we do about it?' asked Corso

'We investigate. All available men on duty, code blue' said Sonny...

with his spycam, wich he had installed when he shot his uncle, Hami smiled as he saw the pirates enter Duke Maddox office. He knew his uncle wasn't dead yet, he needed live bait, if he was going to go fishing for pirates.

'Bingo, Got you Blackbones' he smiled as he used his camera to film Sonny lifting the injured Duke of the chair and down on the floor...

'Your Excellency...can you hear me?' Sonny said, trying to bring the unconcious Duke to.

'We can't stay here Sonny, they'll find us' said Corso.

Sonny nodded.

'He's alive, but injured. We're bringing him with us!' he said.

'Do you know how much he weighs Sonny? Forget it!' said Corso

'We have no choise, we leave him behind, they'll pin murder on us as well as all the other things we're accused of' said Sonny.

A sound made him look towards the door.

'Droids, large number incoming, headed straight for us' said one of the pirates.

Sonny pulled a box from his pocket and pressed it, all of a sudden Duke maddox was floating in the air.

'Now, let's get out of here' Sonny said.

The pirates made it just in time...

'Perfect, this time, the people of the Galaxy will turn against you Sonny Blackbones. I'll soon know where you're hiding, and then, my bounty hunters will make sure to bring you to the lab where you'll work for me' an evil laugh filled the room...

_it really is heating up, do the priates figure out this trap in time to stop the evil plan of Hami's? Find out, if you continue to read.._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: New Allies

'How is he Bennett?'

Bennet was looking at his patient. The shot had hit the Duke hard in the chest, and left a gaping hole. But Rose and Ahito had sprung into action and closed the wound nicely. Right now, The duke was sleeping.

'he has been breating easily for the last hour Sonny, I think the sleeping agent is wearing off. He'll come to soon, drouzy, but still alive' replied Bennett.

'Good, as soon as he's awake, let me know, I need to talk to him' said Sonny.

Rose had washed her hands after the emergency surgery. She looked tired.

'Rose, you should get some rest' said Sonny mildly.

She shook her head.

'No can do Sonny, not yet. I need to heal that wound' she said.

Ahito looked at her.

'The kind of healing that you preform, is very exhausting Rose. You worked hard to help me stop the bleeding. Sonny's right, you need some rest' he warned.

'No, I need to know that he's healed before I do' Rose objected.

Sonny and Corso exchanged glanzes. This was a new side to Rose. She had never seen that determined before.

'Sonny, a word?' Corso asked.

Sonny nodded and followed his second in command into his cabin.

'Sonny, have you seen the recent changes in Rose?'Corso asked him.

'I have' Sonny confirmed.

'It seems Andour was right. She would bloom late, but in time for her mission he told us' said Corso thoughtfully.

' He didn't tell you what kind of powers she would have, did he?' asked Sonny.

'No, they didn't know. All they knew, was that it would be useful for the Gorn people' said Corso.

'Hmm' Sonny seemed to be thinking.

Corso said nothing.

'That flux she had after the abortion..' he said.

'A cleansing. There would have been too much evil in that baby for Rose to deal with. Her people would have to see her as clean, and not smeared with the evil that she's been put through' said Sonny.

'Won't that pose a problem Sonny? We didn't tell them about the rapes' said Corso.

Sonny nodded.

'It's better we try to help her forget all about it. But we can't erase her memories. It could backfire, and make her a vulnerable victim to Hami. We'll have to shield her as much as we can' he said.

Corso nodded.

'Right Sonny'...

'It's been ages since we were alone together D'Jok' whispered Mei as she pulled him close for a hug and a kiss.

She had thought she could handle D'Jok becoming a full time pirate. After all, he was with Sonny, the infamous pirate chief, known throughout the galaxy. And since Sonny was his father, she knew D'Jok would be safe. Sonny would make sure of it. But, she felt alone, and a bit unprotected to be honest, as things where. D'Jok had to hide, as he had become wanted too. Mei felt sadness invade her heart whenever the wanted posters rolled on screen.

'Attention all holowiewers, we have an annoucement from Technoid' Calleigh mystic's voice was heard.

'Won't they ever stop?' sighed D'Jok.

Mei could tell that this was wearing him down.

But as they were about to turn around, they heard a voice that made cold chills run up and down D'Jok's spine.

'Hami? But how?' D'Jok looked around, and grabbed his hidden laser.

'D'Jok, he's not here in this room, he's on holotv' said Mei.

D'Jok had turned into a fullblood pirate, that much was evident. He would hold on to the laser, and his eyes searched everywhere for the source of the voice.

'Hami maddox, you are the nephew of the now kidnaped Duke Maddox, how will you adress this issue?' asked Calleigh.

D'Jok raised his arm, and punched a code.

'Dad, you had better see this' he mumbled...

Sonny heard the beeping indicating a call was coming in.

'Sonny' he said.

'Dad, turn on the holotv, Hami is about to make an announcement' said D'Jok.

Sonny could tell his son was upset.

'Thanks for the heads up D'Jok, you and Mei report in as soon as you find something' he said.

'Will do Dad' D'Jok ended the call.

Sonny grabbed the remote from the table. Seconds later, he was grinding his teeths in share frustration...

Hami looked cold on screen. But still, D'Jok could see the lies in his yellow eyes. The same lies he remembered from two decades ago, when Bleylock had made him a promise to let him and his father go, if he had the metaflux. Sonny had put his own precious life at stake, to save him that day. When D'Jok thought of it now, he knew that Bleylock had lied. There had been a spesific reason why he had demanded his father being the cureer to deliver the metaflux personally. And Bleylock had revealed it soon enough. D'Jok could still recall the conversation in the back of his mind.

'Let us go Bleylock, you have what you want' his father had said. When he thought of it, it had occured that Sonny had been expecting the next move of bleylocks.

'Not yet I do Blackbones. But rest assured that your son's going to help me get it. Sieze him!'.

D'Jok recalled how the droids had taken the cuffs and placed Sonny's arms on his back, before they took him away. Where they had taken him, he didn't know, nor what they had done to him. He just recalled Aarch telling him at halftime, during their first finals, that his father had been freed and was safe and sound again. A great relief, wich had helped him through the match. D'Jok still recalled meeting his father afterwards, during the celebration. The pirates had made no effort to hide then, they didn't have to, as they had been granted immunity. D'Jok recalled how hard he had held his father when he hugged him. Sonny had read that it was all the worries and fears his son experienced put into that hug. He had let him hug for as long as he needed to, placing his arms round him.

'I'm ok D'Jok, don't worry. Things will be better from now on'..

The memory seemed distant, and yet, it was like it was today. D'Jok's eyes narrowed as he looked at the image of the son of the beast that he knew had threatend to kill his father years ago.

'Uncle is very dear to me. I just hope that he is still alive, as we found lots of blood in his office. A look through our surveilance videos revealed who abducted him' said Hami and the video was put up.

D'Jok's mouth fell open. The video showed Corso, Stephens, Bennett and Sonny, bring the unconcious body of Duke Maddox out the window.

'As you all can see, this is the work of Sonny Blackbones again. My uncle always told me that the pirates are a menace. They need be stoped. Therefore, I have taken matters into my own hands. It seems the bounty have not tempted anyone into telling where the pirate chief is hiding. But surely, someone must know. So, now, I have hired a few compeating bounty hunters to track down the pirates, and to bring me Sonny Blackbones alive' Hami said.

D'Jok could hear Mei gasp.

'D'Jok, they'll find him. Sonny isn't safe anywhere now' she sobbed.

'Calm down Mei. My dad will pull through. They won't capture him' said D'Jok, as he pulled her close.

' I understand that Sonny Blackbones is also behind the disappearance of your girlfriend, Rose?'

Hami's face turned into a smirk.

'She was no good anyway. And I don't fancy female fleainfested pirates all that much to concider her worth the trouble' he said.

'I'll strangle him' said D'Jok, clenching his fists.

'That was a low blow, Rose doesn't have fleas' said Mei.

' only thing that is right with what he said, is that she is a pirate' said D'Jok.

But Hami had one more blow to deliver.

'I wouldn't worry too much about Sonny Blackbones, his time as a fugitive on the run, is numbered. But for his son, D'Jok Blackbones, I'll raise the bounty, from two to five million standard credits. If he's captured within 48 hours, there will be a bonus' he said.

The rest of the transmission was lost to D'Jok.

'D'Jok, you have to get back to the ship. You're in danger' said Mei.

D'Jok nodded.

'I hate this' he mumbled.

'It's where we are right now D'Jok, we can't change it' said Mei.

But D'Jok could tell she was said.

'I'll find a way for us to be together Mei. I don't know how, but I will. After all, I am the son of Sonny Blackbones. I have inherrited a few traits from him'...

The pirates on the black Manta had shock all painted on their faces.

'This is becoming dangerous Sonny' said Corso.

Sonny was grinding his teeths. Corso was dead on, and he knew it.

'What are we to do?' Corso asked.

'We'll keep a low profile' Sonny said.

'We're staying on?' Asked Bennett

Sonny nodded in reply.

' we'll stay in stealth mode untill further notice. Make sure no use of any communication with the outside of the ship is used, unauthorized'

Bennett nodded, and headed off to hand out Sonny's orders.

'What is Hami planning on sonny?' Corso asked.

' He's looking to make sure the pirates don't interfeer. That's why he's after D'Jok' said Sonny.

'And what would D'Jok be able to do about that? He's not the one calling the shots' said Corso.

'Exactly, but Hami seems to think, that because he's my son, he has more says onboard than what's the case' said Sonny.

'So, you'll try to draw him out of hiding?' Corso asked.

Sonny nodded.

'It's high risk with the bounty hunters on the loose. I'll have to take precautions never before used to ensure my own safety. But, staying onboard is no option. It's dangerous for all of us. Despite the many times we've saved the galaxy, there is no telling wheter we have the support of the people or not. It's a gamble' Sonny said.

'And why do you think he's after you?' Corso asked.

Sonny's hazels narrowed at the question.

'Hami is smart, he'd be able to recreate most of the metaflux on his own, it is not that hard. What he'll find, is a tiny part of the chain missing. Not even Clamp would be able to tell him what the keycomponent is for that. The reason he sent those bounty hunters after me, is because I know. He'll try to force me to tell him' said Sonny.

Corso looked at him.

'From the sound of it, he'll pull all the stops to declare war, on us, the galaxy..'

'And his uncle' said Sonny.

Corso nodded.

Rose entered the room.

'Sonny, Duke Maddox is coming to'...

Duke Maddox felt like it was sore to breathe. His throat felt dry. As he slowly got used to his surroundings, he could tell this was not his office. It looked like a ship's inside. Definately not a technoid ship, they wouldn't be this basically fitted, with only the bare necessities. If he didn't know better, he would think this was..

The sound of a door opening, cut off his trail of thoughts.

'Good afternoon, Your Excellency. How do you feel?' said a voice.

Duke maddox knew that voice well.

'S-Sonny Blackbones?' he whispered.

'Sorry for the restraints, Your Excellency. Do you remember anything of what happened in your office?' Sonny asked as he sat down.

'Only that my own nephew, Hami, is turning into a more evil version of his father' grunted Duke Maddox.

Sonny hid the grin that threatend to spread across his face. For once, he was the one with the upper hand. Duke Maddox was at the mercy of the pirates now.

' He's been doing a lot more than that, Your Excellency. From the look of things, you've been tossed from the seat of your own company, like yesterdays trash' Sonny said.

'WHAT? That dirty little...why, I ought to..' said the Duke.

'Do what, Your Excellency? Right now, Hami is the head of Technoid. They think that the pirates kidnaped you, after we supposedly shot you' said Sonny.

' I distinctly remember Hami pulling the trigger, creating a gaping hole in my chest' said Duke Maddox.

'Wich is the reason for the restraints, and like I said, we need to discuss matters. It seems both you and I have a common enenmy. He won't stop at siezing Technoid, he's going for his fathers crazed dream'.

Duke Maddox stared at the pirate chief.

'You mean, he wants to rule supreme in the galaxy?' he asked.

'Yes, and it's up to us, to put an end to things' Sonny crouched down, beside the Duke.

The Duke seemed old.

'I hope you have a plan Sonny, Hami is far more dangerous than Bleylock ever was. He proved that tonight'

'And framed the pirates for the act in the same smack. We have some debts to settle with him now'

Corso entered the room.

'We got hold of D'Jok Sonny, he's in a safe location, awaiting orders'.

'Good, he better not stick his neck out just yet, I'll tell him when to return' Sonny said.

'Right' Corso left them again.

'You won't be charged with kidnaping Sonny, it's evident, without your intervention, I'd be dead now' said Duke maddox.

'We must work together, if we're to defeat Hami, and elliminate the threat he poses to the galaxy. And the homeplanet of Gorn' said Sonny.

'You're one of a very low number that visited Gorn, and made it back to Technoid's base. What was it like in Bleylock's homeworld?' Duke Maddox asked.

' Nothing like you think. Have you ever wondered why no one ever hear anything from there?' asked Sonny

'Now that you mention it, it is strange' Duke Maddox had to admit.

'What I want you to do, Your Excellency, may sound like I'm asking too much. As soon as you're strong enough to resume your duties as head of Technoid, we'll escort you back. All I ask in return for the help we give you, is that you launch an investigation into what is going on in Gorn, and expose to the world, what life there is really like'.

Duke Maddox looked at Sonny, for a long time. Even for a pirate, this was an unusual request. But Sonny's hazels had a glow and determination to them.

'I'll do as you ask Sonny' he said.

'Good' the pirate chief turned to leave the room, and Rose entered.

'I'll try to heal him further Sonny' she smiled.

Sonny smiled.

'Sonny?' Duke Maddox voice sounded weak.

'You need to rest, Your Excellency' he said with a smile.

'We haven't always been the best of friends Sonny, but let's turn the page. And form an alliance' suggested Duke Maddox.

'We'll talk of that when you feel better Your Excellency, right now, let me do things the pirate way, and we take it from there' Sonny suggested.

Duke Maddox nodded.

'And Sonny, be careful'

The pirate chief nodded and left the room.

As Rose sat down, Duke Maddox sighed.

'If Sonny Blackbones can't rid the Galaxy of Hami Maddox, then, we are truly doomed'

His words sounded ominous. Rose nodded, it was not the time to explain her role in things just yet...

_one of the best chapters so far, in my own opinion. What do you guys think?_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: D'Jok

Everything was set, the lab was up and running, and all the components for making the metaflux version 2, was in place. Hami was pleased with his work. From the looks of it, he would be making an improved version of an already known to excist, synthetical flux, a flux that was undetectable. Well, his plan involved going further than both his father and Harris ever had. The multiflux, had been his fathers creation, a continuation of Clamp and Sonny's work. More powerfull and deadly. If one wanted to rule the galaxy, one had to make sure to have a weapon that could defeat them all. The multiflux version 2 was all set to be made. He had already set up the football tournaments, getting a galactik football cup ready. The equippment to collect the flux was already installed under heavy security in the Genesis stadium, no need to wait for the weaker teams, he needed the best of the best, the strong teams of the league to play. His plan was perfect so far.

Well, almost. Hami knew he was missing one key ingredient. And the only one that knew what that was, happened to be a pirate with every reason in the world to despise him. And even if he got hold of him, there was less than a billion chance that Sonny would tell him that. Not even under brute force. The pirate chief was more likely to sacrifice himself than let that secret slip. The pirates themselves would be sunk without Sonny, and they knew. Hami knew, if his bounty hunters managed to capture the pirate chief, he would have ways to make Sonny talk. He walked over to a contraption that wasn't fully set yet. Once he had Sonny taken prisoner, this device would force the secret out of Sonny, leaving him the most powerful man in the galaxy. Off course, Sonny would not survive the proceedure, but who cared? That was an acceptable loss. One rat less to worry about.

'Master maddox?'

Hami turned. It was one of the bounty hunters.

'Yes, what can I do for you, Rod?' he asked with a smirk.

'Sonny Blackbones, the most wanted man in the galaxy. To track him down won't be easy, the pirates are notorious for hiding'.

'Well, then I suggest you think like a pirate. Find Sonny Blackbones, and bring him to me' Hami demanded.

The bounty hunters left.

'Let's see how long you can stay under the radar this time, Sonny blackbones' laughed Hami...

Rose blocked Corso's attack with the stick, and threw him over her shoulder. From the right, she saw Sonny prepare to swing himself at her, using a rope.

'Hah, that won't work on me this time Sonny' she laughed as she threw herself to the side, barely missing Sonny's attack.

She laughed hard when the two top dogs crashed, and fell into a pile on the floor, Sonny on top of Corso.

' ha ha, don't you two look silly' she laughed, and grabbed a rod.

'Get of of me Sonny, I'll show her what it's like to really fight' growled Corso, trying to push Sonny away.

Sonny laughed.

'Nice one Rose, you handled that one like a professional. But can you handle a double attack?' he asked, getting up.

Rose knew that both the pirates had taken their shirts off, to really challenge her, without a shirt, there was nothing to grab on to, to take them down. Rose had seen men, that had fat on the body, wich would have been easy to grab, the two pirates in front of her however... Corso was still strong, despite beeing very thin. Sonny was more muscular, but still toned. And as both of them had added a handicap, by rubbing themselves with oil before the trainingsession started, Rose knew a hand to hand combat could easily lead to problems. She crouched down as Corso and Sonny approached her.

'Now I got you!' Corso yelled triumphant as he threw himself at her.

' Actually, you don't' said Rose, and pulled his arms over at his back in a cross.

'Aouch, that hurts missy!' growled Corso.

'Be nice to the lady, and you won't have to suffer very long' said Rose with a smile.

Corso sat down on the side.

Rose tried to lock eyes with Sonny, who was still circling her. She was looking for an opening in his defense, a defense that seemed impenetrable.

Sonny was a strathegist, he would know, from one look at his oponent, when to strike.

' You're stressing' Sonny commented with a smirk, as he held an armslenght distance from her.

' And you're trying to take advantage of that fact' she threw back.

Sonny smiled, and before Rose knew, he attacked.

Rose felt how his arm tightened around her head. Headlock, of course. She should have seen it coming.

'This won't stop me Sonny, but nice try' she laughed.

She could feel that for just a split second, Sonny was insecure, he loosened the grip just slightly, barely noticable, but it was all she needed. Her hand quickly gave him a hard punch, just behind the left knee.

'Aargh!'

She knew the tecnique was more painful than anything else. She would never hurt any of her friends on intent, especially not Sonny. But the excersise was about escaping the attack, not being nice to the oponent. Rose felt Sonny slip his gripn slightly, and managed to pull free. Sonny tried to block her attack, but all too soon, Rose swept his foot of the ground and made him fall. Sonny smiled, even though he had to admit he looked pretty stupid, lying there, on his stomach, with Rose's knee firmly planted in his back.

' Your next step would be?' he asked, and thereby signaling that she was to go all out on the exercise.

Rose pulled a rope, from her kit that she wore on the body, and used it to tie Sonny's arms firmly on the back.

Corso walked over to them.

'Can you free yourself Sonny?' he asked.

Sonny only used 15 seconds to accomplish that, and handed the rope back to Rose.

'Impressive, you're a fast learner Rose' he said.

'I have good teachers' she smiled, as she whiped the sweat of her forehead.

'Want to call it the day, or do you feel up for some more?' Sonny asked.

Rose had to admit, for a man his age, Sonny was amazing. He could jump back and be ready for action just like a teenager in no time.

'If you're up for it, let's go!' she smiled.

'You two kids!' Corso laughed, shaking his head.

Sonny just laughed.

' I'd prefeer the imagination of a kid over a droid on any day' he said.

' You got a long way to go before you turn into a Robot Sonny' laughed Corso.

'Hey, careful Corso, don't go on and say anything that might jinx us yet' he said.

Corso just shook his head as he left the room.

'So, grappling, or ropeescapes Rose?' Sonny asked.

'Boths!' her reply sounded.

' My kind of taste in a female' smiled Sonny, as he grabbed a rope from the wall.

The next hour could become a very interresting one...

Sinedd, Sunja, Mei and D'Jok met in the ripple Club, the pirates hideout in Genesis.

'Any sign of Hami?' asked D'Jok.

He hated having to hide like this. He didn't learn to appreciate what he had, untill he lost it. D'Jok realised, his own life was repeating the past of his own father. Sonny too was robbed of the life he wanted to lead. And he had lost pretty much all of it in a split second. D'Jok had often wondered, if he had ever regreted making the choise that he did. He just couldn't muster the courage to ask him. To D'Jok, what mattered, was that his father remained safe and sound. With bounty hunters after him, D'Jok doubted Sonny would be able to hide very long. It was of the essence, to find Hami and stop him, before his bounty hunters found Sonny, and captured him.

'No, wherever he is, he sure knows how to travel undetected' said Sunja.

'He hasn't been back to school?' asked D'Jok.

'No, and from the looks of it, he abandoned his crowd too. I've seen the ones he used to hang with, over at my club, but he didn't show' said Sinedd.

D'Jok nodded.

'That's it. It seems he's vanished into thin air. This is getting just a little too much' he said.

'D'Jok, I know you probobly won't listen, but there has to be a way' said Sinedd.

'There is one allright, but if I carry it out, I don't know who's gonna break my neck first, Dad, or Corso' said D'Jok.

Mei looked at him.

'D'Jok, what is on your mind?' she asked.

D'Jok turned towards all of them. This time, they could all see how he had changed. The bigheadedness that used to be one of D'Jok's most defining charracter traits, was gone. The diamond in the rough had been shaped, though still roughly, into what had been his destiny all along. D'Jok had known for years, like the pirates had known. But Sonny had made sure to keep D'Jok on the right track, all the way through school. Mei had seen it, during the years she and D'Jok lived together and he was a fulltime student. D'Jok hadn't had to work, Sonny had made sure to provide him with what he needed, financially. The pirates had to have fundings stacked away somewhere, Mei had learned that when they hit hard times. D'Jok had struggled with it too. They had talked about moving in with her parents, as a way to get back up on their feets. Luckily, Sonny had found the time to visit and D'Jok had no choise but to tell. It had been a hard blow to his pride, as he wanted to be the one that took care of Mei, instead it had been the other way around. Sonny had sat silent and listened to them.

'D'Jok, I've told you before. If you need me, I'm never far. If you can't reach me directly, one of my men will make sure I get the message right away. We all run into setbacks now and then, it's part of life. Don't you think your mother and I experienced hard times before things went well?' he had smiled.

' You never speak much of mom' said D'Jok silent.

Mei knew, even if Maya had done an amazing job raising D'Jok, he still knew, his birthmom was someone he never got to know. He knew very little of her, the one that could tell him, was Sonny, and even Sonny found it hard to do. Mei could see the pain just for a sec before he hid it. But it was still there.

'I will. In time D'Jok'.

Always the same answer. But, D'Jok accepted it. He could never have his mother back, but at least, he had Sonny, his father. And it had to be enough.

'I got a plan' said D'Jok, pulling everyone out of their thoughts.

'D'Jok, you should speak to Sonny, or Corso, before you make a move' said Mei.

'I agree with Mei, it's risky to go after this guy D'Jok' said Sinedd.

D'Jok knew them both to be right.

'The problem is, we're running out of time. I have to draw him out of his lair, somehow...' D'Jok was thinking.

'D'Jok, don't do anything stupid, you were once my no 1 hero' said sunja.

'Hey, I thought I was your number one' said Sinedd with a laugh.

There was no doubt he too had changed. Maya and the obia moon ambassadour finding his family had definately turned Sinedd around, he had gotten to win his very first final, only to be thrown into a drama out of proportions when mei, micro- Ice, the galactik kids and Sunja was abducted. Thanks to Sonny and the pirates, they had been saved. Sinedd felt in deep debts to the pirates for this. He had made a promise to them, to be of help, whenever he could.

'It's even more risky to wait, they might find where Dad is hiding, and if they capture him now..' D'Jok let silence speak.

'They won't find him D'Jok. Sonny Blackbones isn't captured unless he wants to be' said Sinedd.

'Still, it's my time to act. Dad needs to hide for as long as he can. To draw Hami out of his lair, we need a decoy. And that decoy, is me' said D'Jok.

Mei and Sinedd looked shocked, like they could hardly believe what they heard.

Sunja smiled.

'Do you have a plan D'Jok? She said.

A devious smile formed on D'Jok's face.

'I got a plan, a plan that can't fail' he smiled..

_a short chapter this time, but, it's going to be the prelude to D'Jok's rise to the fullblood pirate he is becoming. Will Sonny approve of this, or is D'Jok making the mistake of his life? Read the next chapter. You will definately be surprised._


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The match

The bar was uncommon, and normal. Perhaps it was because it was so easy to blend in, that the three bounty hunters met for beers there.

'So, any sign of Blackbones?' asked the one called Rod.

'No, I've seen lots of pirates, severals of them, I managed to check, and could easily have turned in if I wanted small change, but the big fish, Sonny Blackbones himself, is seemingly in hiding' said Win, and took a sip of his akillian beer.

'Ever concidered capturing one of them, to find out where Sonny Blackbones is hiding?' asked the bounty hunter only known as K.

' They won't talk. They guard Sonny with their lives. Getting close to him will be near impossible'.

K was thinking.

'Somehow, we have to smoke him out. I know who Sonny used to be, before he changed into the pirate we all know him as today. But before I'd turn him over to Hami, I'd want to know what Hami wants with him'.

'Why is that K? You think Hami is pulling our hairs?' asked Win.

'Let's put it this way, Win. I went to school with I'Son, now known as Sonny Blackbones. He was one of the top students in the science class, sometimes, when I struggled with maths or other things, in junior high. I'Son would sit down with me and help me figure things out. There was litterally, nothing he couldn't solve. I am telling you, there is a reason Hami wants him taken, and it has nothing to do with the supposed crimes he has committed' said K thoughtfully.

'What do you suggest we do?' said Rod.

'We track down Sonny, as planned. But, we're not to sieze him. I want to talk to him. Something tells me, that Sonny might explain to us, why Hami is after him' said K.

'Trust a pirate? Are you insane?' asked Win.

K shook his head.

'No, but I won't turn over an innocent man to Hami, without good reasons' he said.

'The money is not good enough reason for you?' said Rod.

'No, I think Hami is up to something, and it's bad. I recognized the chair he was putting up. It's to tap into a persons memory, to find things that person is reluctant or unwilling to tell you. I tell you right now, Hami's plans is not to put Sonny before a jury to convict him. If he is allowed to carry out his plans, he will kill Sonny' said K.

'And what do you suggest we do about that? Sonny blackbones is a wanted criminal' said Win.

'That may be, but if Hami is how I think he is, Sonny is in grave danger' said K.

'You want to protect Blackbones?' asked Rod.

'Let's say, I owe Sonny big time. I need to find a way to come into contact with him' said K.

Rod smiled.

'I might know one way to accomplish just that' he said.

Duke Maddox had finally recovered enough to get out of bed. The pirates were sceptical about letting him walk around the ship alone, wich he could understand. After all, he was the head of technoid, the one that had started hunting Sonny down when he fled with the metaflux. Sonny had done the right thing back then. Duke Maddox knew he had widely misjudged Sonny. Sonny was well within his rights to be angry. No one would have blamed him, if he had left him to die. But that wasn't who Sonny Blackbones was. Sonny had respect for all living things, for the science in it. It defined him as who he was. Duke Maddox closed his eyes, as he stared at the stars. His actions, Blelocks actions, had caused Sonny a lot of pain, and some horrifying losses. He had to admire Sonny, for still being who he was. If only there had been a way he could make up for all the problems he had caused this man.

'Your Excellency?' the sound of Sonny's voice, made him turn.

'Sonny! I didn't hear you come in' he said.

' You're onboard my ship, your Excellency. I know everything that goes on, and where everyone is, and where they're supposed to be' Sonny said, as he walked towards the Duke.

'Sonny, the situation is bad, isn't it?' he asked.

Sonny just nodded, as he stoped next to the Duke.

' Bad, but not unsolveable. Hami has gone under ground. The way things are, it's tricky to go on a search. I don't want to put my men in danger in any way. And thanks to Hami, both D'Jok and I have limited space to move around on' he said.

'Meaning?' said the Duke, and looked at Sonny.

' He upped the bounty for D'Jok, wich made me tell him to keep a very low profile untill further notice. As for myself, he made sure to make it even harder. I've been informed by my men, that three bounty hunters have been hired to track me down, and capture me. It does limit my freedom of movement a lot, as the equippment that would allow me to move freely, is heavy, and slows me down when running. I take it you understand my position?' he asked.

Duke Maddox nodded.

'So, what can I do to help?' he asked.

A sly grin showed on Sonny's face.

'I have a plan'...

The man sat in the ripple bar with a beer. He knew the pirates had noticed he was a stranger, someone not from their crowd. He had already identified two of the pirates players. And from the looks of it, they had seen him too. Stevens, the striker, was holding his hand over his ear, like his ear was hurting. He knew better. Stevens had raised the alert. Sonny himself would not show. The pirates would make sure to shield their leader. He continued to sip his beer.

'You're not in our regular clientell' stated Tin can, as it served the man his third beer.

' Maybe not, but my reasons to be here, concerns me alone, and perhaps someone you might know' he said, in an attempt to pry any information from the droid.

' I know many' replied Tin can, as it continued with the dishes.

K realised he had to pull an unusual stunt. He didn't want to tell this soon, but the more he thought of it, the more he realised, Win and Rod would stab him in the back when it came to the bounty for Sonny. They were in this for the money. K knew Sonny was in danger. If they had followed him here...

' You ever heard of a man named I'Son?' he asked.

If a machine could look suspicious, K would say that this was the droids response.

'I don't know anyone by that name' it responded.

'That would be his real name, I believe his piratestatus caused him to change it. From my knowledge, he now goes by the name, Sonny Blackbones'.

K noticed how all the pirates was all of a sudden busy not staring at him. He knew Sonny had been warned to stay clear.

A pirate he didn't recognize, sat down next to him.

'Listen pal, asking questions concerning Sonny, among his own men, isn't a very vise move' he said.

'I wouldn't ask if I didn't need to speak to him personally. It's important' said K.

' Don't you think we know who you are? You're one of the bounty hunters sent to capture him. 15 millons is a lot, we all understand that, but Sonny is worth far more than that. We won't let you talk to him' said the pirate.

K couldn't take it. He stood up and grabbed the pirate's collar. No sooner had he done that, he heard the clicks from several lasers being loaded.

'Let him go!' The order came from a hooded man.

K could see, as the man approached him, that it wasn't Sonny. This man had very little in common with Sonny, apart from being a pirate. The man was clearly asian. A mechanical eye was placed where his second eye should have been. This man was a warrior, devoted and clearly, protective. And he approached him.

'You, Sir, have some explaining to do!' hissed the pirate.

' Sir, I am truly one of three bounty hunters, sent to capture your leader, I admit that is my assignment. But, I fear the purpose of Sonny's capture, will serve a madman with a great deal of power he will use in a destructive way' said K, and let go of the pirate.

'You ok Hawkins?' asked the man in the hood.

'Yes Corso, I'm ok, just a little shaken' responded Hawkins.

The man named Corso, looked at K.

'Take him to the holding cell on sublevel 10. I'll inform Sonny, personally' he said.

' Tell I'Son, that Keyon sends his regards' said K.

As they took him away, Corso looked at the men present.

'Tell me all this Keyon did while here. I want to know all, before I notify Sonny'...

The match was about to start. D'Jok had prepared as best he could. Adding the pirates button for undetected escapes had been a calculated move. But these snowkids... he looked at his team in the dressingroom. To say they had been surprised to see him when he showed up, was an understatement. Even Rocket had wondered if he had lost it.

'D'Jok, are you sure you thought this through?' he had asked his former teammate.

D'Jok nodded.

'I've made mistakes in my past Rocket, and some of them, has come at a high price for others. I need to prove who I am, and my worth, not only to myself, but also to my father, and to the galaxy' he said.

'D'Jok, I get that. I even let you have your old jersey. But what I feel is wrong, is the possibillity you might get captured after the match' said Rocket.

D'Jok nodded. He was fully aware of the risk. Infact, that was part of his plan. No one would expect him to show at a football match at this level of play. The snowkids had once again made it to the final sixteen. Come to think of it, ever since they started, the snowkids had to go the long way just once. After that, they had always been in the final sixteen, being the first team ever to win the galactik football cup three times in a row. Come to think of it, he missed those days. Playing on the pitch, with the same team he had once been the coach for, now that they had grown up, would be an interresting challenge.

He looked at Rocket.

'Don't worry Rocket, I'm a pirate now. I've learned how to escape' he smiled.

Rocket nodded. He knew that D'Jok was telling the truth.

'What's the meaning behind this stunt D'Jok? I refuse to believe it's just that you miss playing so badly'.

D'Jok nodded. But, involving Rocket in his plan, could cause Rocket to pull the plug on his plan.

'I'll tell you when we're on the halftime break Rocket, right now, we got to get ready to face the Lightnings' he said.

'You know that Warren is the lightnings coach now right? And that he too is a player out there on the pitch?' asked Rocket.

D'Jok stoped for a sec.

'No, I did not know that. I haven't had time to follow up too much lately. But thanks for the advice' he smiled.

Rocket nodded, as the team gathered around D'Jok.

'Here' he handed D'Jok the red captain's armband.

D'Jok nodded.

'Ok, are we ready?' he asked the team.

'Go Snow, Go!'...

Aboard the Black Manta, Rose had gathered with the crowd of pirates, sitting down to watch the match. Even if D'Jok and the other grand players of the era when Sonwkids were undefeatable, was over, the pirates still followed every snowkids match. And tonight, it was the lightnings. Several pirates grunted as Duke Maddox took place among them. Seconds later, Sonny came to join.

' Any word from D'Jok and his team?' he asked.

'No Sonny, either, they're laying low, or D'Jok is watching the match from holotv somewhere else' said Artie.

Sonny's face was thoughtfull.

'I've got a feeling we'll soon enough know what my son is up to' he said, rubbing his chin.

' Being indoors in the Black Manta, is startning to get to you Sonny. There is no way, D'Jok wouldn't do anything this stupid as being on the stadium' said Bennett.

At that very moment, the teams were entering the pitch.

' And with the snowkids lineup, there is certainly a huge surprise' cheered Calleigh.

' That's true Calleigh, we all remember the golden era of the snowkids. The most winning galactik team ever. Nowdays, none of the players from the time, are active on the pitch. The first version of the snowkids have become adults, and some are even in the process of becoming parents themselves' said Noork.

'But still, after all they've been through together, I have heard that they want to join up, with the old team, for a fundraiser' said Calleigh.

'That could be difficult, as D'Jok, the former legendary striker of the snowkids, is rumoured to have joined the pirates. It would be far more likely that he'd play with their team now' said Barry.

'True, but we know all too well, the pirates are known to surprise, it would not surprise me, if they would aid D'Jok in a play like that' said Calleigh.

Upon the start of the match, Sonny's holowatch beeped. Slightly annoyed, Sonny went to the back of the room to respond.

'Sonny, we got a situation' said Corso.

'What is it?' Sonny inquired.

' I don't know Sonny, this will have to be your call. Remember the announced bounty hunters of Hami's?' Corso asked.

'Yes?' Sonny waited for Corso to continue.

' Sonny, back when you were young, before you joined the pirates, do you recall someone named Keyon?' Corso asked.

Sonny felt like he had been punched in the guts. Memories from happy times, from a happy childhood, flashed before his inner eye. Sonny cut them off, before they could mix with the less happy memories from the time that followed. A smile formed on his face.

'Yes, I remember Keyon' Sonny confirmed.

Corso's face still remained worried.

'Don't you think it's the slightest bit suspicious that he came to the Ripple Bar, looking for you?' Corso asked.

Sonny couldn't tell why, but his instincts told him, he needed to speak to this man.

'Meet me after the match, and we'll go to the holding cells together' he said.

'Ok Sonny, enjoy the match' said Corso, and cut the transmission...

D'Jok felt like the flux was vibrating. Was it the excitement of playing again, or the fact that he somehow knew this was a daring move? Would Sonny and the pirates see what he was doing? Probobly, Sonny was not going to like this at all, but it was too late to back out now. The shuttle was nearing the pitch. As it landed, and his feets hit the hard plexiglas underneath, he looked up. Warren stared at him.

'D'Jok, are you completely mad? You shouldn't be here' Warren said, with a hand to his shoulder.

D'Jok felt torn. These were his friends, his hero. They had played together, on the all stars, in the big kicks, Warren was the one that came the closest to his father. If he couldn't turn to Sonny for advice, Warren was the one that had helped him stay on track.

'I have to Warren. There is too much at stake. I have to protect Dad' said D'Jok.

'Does Sonny know you're doing this? Have you concidered the danger you're putting yourself in?' Warren seemed crossed, but D'Jok could tell there was more to it.

'Warren, I..' the sound of the whistle cut him of.

'We'll speak of this later D'Jok. After the match. There are things you don't know about the pirates accomplises yet' said Warren.

D'Jok threw himself into the game, but Warrens words continued to haunt him all through the first half. What was it that Sonny had not told him? After all the hard work, he still didn't trust him? A part of D'Jok, the old D'Jok surfaced. The young boy who had grown into a teen, thinking he was an orphan, only to find, his mother had died giving birth to him, and his father found him 16 years later, only to show that there was no way a normal family life could be for them.

D'Jok had thought his destiny was the football, to become a big star, the biggest the galaxy had ever seen. A distant memory ecchoed in his mind.

'You're already one of these stars D'Jok'..

Just words, but with a deep meaning. The first words his father had spoken to him.

D'Jok focused on the ball, loosing focus on the pitch used to be unforgivable in his eyes. If he wanted Hami to take the bait, he hed to work for it...

Duke maddox stared at the screen.

'It's can't possibly be..Sonny!' he turned, to see Sonny clench fists and biting his teeths hard.

'D'Jok, out of all the foolish things yet... Bennett, get him off the pitch, code blue. I got a few words for my son'.

Sonny was usually the most composed of them all. But there was no doubt, he was angry now.

'Sonny, please, go easy on him. I'm sure he meant no harm..' Artie said.

Sonny's glare cut him off.

'Right now, he's putting the entire team in jeopardy. Take a look' Sonny clicked on a a remote.

'No, how could we miss that? Those are flux collectors' said Bennett.

All the pirates knew what a fluxcollector was. They had more or less dedicated their lives to keep the galaxy safe.

Duke maddox looked at Sonny.

'Flux collectors?' he asked.

'Yes, Your Excellency. The more agressive the player is, the more flux he gives out. We can't see it with the naked eye. However..' Sonny clicked a new button on the remote.

The picture changed, and showed a massive amount of flux, from the snowkids and in particular D'Jok.

' This is the same way that Bleylock created the multiflux. He collected that, in a sphere built underground. He tried to make it look like technoid was behind it. It had us fooled for a long time. By the time we realised what we were dealing with, he had already made the multiflux, an extremely powerful flux, and planned to use it, to control the galaxy, far and wide'..

Rose looked at it.

'The mix is strong, but not as strong as it would be, if he had the strongest of the fluxes mixed in' she said.

'At any rate, we're stoping the match!' said Sonny.

But as he turned to leave, Rose grabbed his arm.

' Yes, we are stoping the match Sonny, but I'm coming along. You will need my help' she said.

Sonny looked at her.

'No, stay here Rose, this is dangerous'.

That's when Rose displayed her true power.

'No Sonny, you're needed elsewhere. This time, it's my time'

She elevated from the ground, ingulved in a red ball, wich seemed to have a forcefield inside.

'D'Jok created the perfect entry with this. Now, it's time for me to deal with Hami' she said.

'Rose..' Sonny took a step back, as he tried to plead with her.

Rose turned to Sonny.

'Sonny, you've been there for me, ever since my mother sent me to safety from Gorn and the enslavement I was meant to live in there. I got my memories back now, thanks to you. My mission, is to save the Galaxy, the threat Hami poses is far greater than you know, you've just scratched the surface. But, to complete his creation, he lacks one key element' Rose said.

Sonny felt like he had a sense of what she meant. But, he wanted to make sure.

' Do you know?' he asked.

Rose nodded.

'He already has flux Sonny, lots of it. He can make it, but, it would be detectable' she said.

Sonny nodded. The pieces of the puzzle started falling into place now.

'But, he doesn't know how to make it untaceable?' he asked.

Rose nodded.

Sonny nodded. He knew what Rose would tell next.

'In order to make it untraceable, he needs to know what the last missing component is. He won't dare to mess with the flux. He needs someone to tell him what that is, the last key component'.

Sonny could feel Rose's eyes on his back.

Rose walked forth, and laid her hand on his shoulder.

' He needs you Sonny, or rather...he needs your brain'...

_what sinister plans is Hami working on? Will Sonny be able to slip away under the radar this time? And what will happen to D'Jok? What did Warren mean? All of this, and more.. still to come._


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: You Fry!

Sonny could only nodd. Rose's insight was dead on. He had seen it coming. But, it was still hard to accept that he would be the one that could make or break the plan.

'I know' he simply said.

'And what do you plan to do? Hami proved far more intelligent than i thought' said Duke Maddox.

He completely ignored the glares Sonny's men sent him.

'Bleylock was no idiot, that much we all know. Naturally, Hami would innherrit some of his traits' Sonny seemed to be thinking out loud.

A smile started to form on his face. He turned to the holoscreen.

'I see you D'Jok. It's risky, but you may just have given us the opening to locate the rat's nest'

Duke Maddox looked at him.

'Huh?' even Bennett and Artie seemed confused.

Sonny smiled.

'Bennett, Artie. You two are in charge of the pirates football team. We're still in the competition?' he asked.

'Yes, we're just waiting for the order to pull out' said Bennett.

'What? You mean to tell me the pirates has been defeated on purpose these last decades?' said Duke Maddox surprised.

'Not all the time, but a few times. I'll tell them to stick with the game for as long as possible. How many of the pirates players posess the seed of Shiloh as flux?' Sonny asked.

' All except two players, but they'll get it. They're the two youngest. Sonny, are you telling us to use that advantage the seed will give us?' asked Artie. He sounded overly excited.

Sonny nodded.

'It's time the pirates show their hidden power. The most powerful flux the galaxy has ever known, is about to shine' said Sonny. His hazels had a shine that indicated he had planned fast, but effectively. A daring move had been planned.

Rose smiled. Knowing Sonny, she knew this plan came in several parts, and they would all play a role.

'When is debrief?' she asked.

'As soon as we can assemble the team, we'll meet in the Ripple club' Sonny said.

'Hold it Sonny, don't forget, you have some fans on your tail. Don't forget about the bounty hunters' Bennett warned him.

Sonny smiled.

'I have a plan for that too. I'll go to a sublevel soon, to meet with corso. We got a visitor in the holding cells, that has information to share' he smiled...

Keyon leaned against the wall. This could drag out. He hoped he had gone under Win and Rod's radar. Both of them would undoubtedly sell Sonny out if they spotted him. He looked over at the desk, where Corso sat and read something on the computer.

'I hope Sonny isn't gonna make his way down here all alone, he'd be in danger the minute he sets foot outside the ship'

Corso looked up. A grin formed on his face.

'Don't worry bout Sonny. He knows his ways around. They won't find him, unless he wants to be found' Corso said.

Keyon looked at him.

'Win and Rod are skilled, Corso. They want the bounty for him. They don't care what happens to him. They' re just after the money' Keyon tried to plead with Corso.

'And you're not?' Corso eyeballed him.

Keyon sighed.

'I suspect faul play on Hami's side. Sonny does play a role in this, but I don't understand wich one. It's like Hami's obessed with him..'

Corso nodded.

'You got this Sonny?' he asked.

' Loud and clear' sounded a voice from the computer.

Keyon jumped.

'He's been listening all the time?' he asked.

Corso nodded.

'Off course. A pirate can never be too carefull'

'Sonny, I need to talk to you, one on one'.

'We'll talk Keyon, but I decide when' sounded the reply.

'You don't understand. There is a traitor among your men. He'll sell you out' said Keyon.

There was silence for a few minutes.

'I'll be down shortly' said Sonny, before he ended the transmission...

Rose knew it was dangerous, the mission she had been sent on with Stevens and Hawkins. They were to intercept D'Jok and make sure he escaped unscaved. Rose stilll felt it was a foolish move to be this obvious. Even tough the snowkids was clearly in the lead, she knew what had happened to Rocket when he played netherball. The system Hami used to extract the flux from the players, was the same as in the sphere. There was no known research on the longterm effects of being subjected to this. Sonny had made calculations that one match, when a player would play his or her hardest, would be sufficient for D'Jok to suffer from the ressonance afterwards. He had called on Clamps help to counter it. Clamp and Sonny had been in contact over the secure line all the time as they made a mix for both the snowkids and D'Jok, to make sure they got immidiate medical attention after the match. Clamp had warned Sonny to get D'Jok to safety immideately.

'I don't get why he's doing this Sonny, he must know of the dangers he puts himself in'.

'At first, I didn't get it either, but now, I see what he is doing. We'll take care of things immideately after the match. Inform Rocket that I'll send a team to get D'Jok afterwards. Preferrably, pull him out before the end. Rocket can sub in his place the last minutes' Sonny suggested.

Clamp looked at him.

'Are we speaking of the same D'Jok here? I've never seen him pull out of a match, ever' laughed Clamp.

'He knows better than to go against me Clamp. He'll do it, as I'll make sure he knows what will happen if he defies my direct order!' Sonny stated.

'It's wouldn't be me that did a thing like that' said Clamp.

Sonny chuckled.

'Most of my men wouldn't Clamp. But D'Jok thinks I'll go easy on him, because he's my son. That makes him a bit unruly. But managable' he smiled.

' If you say so' chuckled Clamp.

Sonny checked the time.

'Thanks for your help Clamp' he said,and ended the transmission.

Now, Rose was looking for a way to block the lasers aimed at the pitch. They had no idea what was the lasers were charged with, but Rose feared it was some type of flux cannon. She communicated with Artie and Bennett, as they made their way to the coaches booth of the snowkids.

'Sure I'll pull him out for the last ten minutes, but D'Jok won't be a happy camper' warned Rocket.

'His mood is of less concern, Rocket. Us pirtaes won't go against Sonny's orders' said Bennett.

'True, you shouldn't. If Sonny said to pull D'Jok out, then you do that' said Dame Simbai.

She had been with them for like forever. The original snowkids had been fortunate enough to have her skills to rely on when they were young. And still, despite growing an elderly woman, she still stuck with them, caring for the team and the players. Rocket nodded.

'I'll get ready to replace him, we're closing in on the end of the first half. I'll inform him at halftime' said Rocket...

Rod and Win were looking for K. He was like sunk in the ground.

'You think he could have been captured by the pirates?' asked Win.

' Only if he said something stupid. But again, after Hami's announcement, there is reason to believe that he could have been outed' said Rod.

'He did seem eager to talk to Blackbones. If he knows him, he would have a way to find him, and get in contact' said Win.

'Like how? Have you seen how jumpy the pirates are lately? All you need to do, is mention Sonny's name, and all of them are listening in to every word you speak' said Rod.

'Try to call him again' suggested Win...

The device on the table was shaking. Corso looked at it.

'Seems your friends are trying to reach you' he commented dryly.

'Let him talk to them then' said a voice.

Corso turned to see a figure dressed in a cloack stand in the room. He removed the hood.

'Sonny! I didn't expect you this soon'.

'I got an early relieve' said Sonny, before he turned towards the cell.

'Long time no see Keyon' he said.

'Likewise I'Son. You may have changed in some ways after you became a pirate, but deep down, you're still the same' Keyon smiled.

Sonny opened the cell. Corso was waiting, with his laser aimed at Keyon. One wrong turn, and he would gun him down on the spot.

'Sonny, whatever it is you found when you created the metaflux, that made it undetectable. Make sure Hami can't force it out of you. I don't know why, but I feel this new head of Technoid is unbalanced' he said.

'You're half right Keyon. The same was the case with his father, but in his case, it's more vicious. Hami is fully able to fake things, and make it seem he is completely normal. But, he outranks Bleylock several times' said Sonny.

'He needs be stoped Sonny. Right now, I think you're the only one that can' said Keyon.

Sonny nodded.

'We need to smoke him out. You happen to know where he's hiding?' he asked.

'I know where his lab is. But there is no telling wheter he's there or not' said Keyon.

'Sounds like we need a bait Sonny' said Corso.

'It's possible we have already put that out. Right now, D'Jok is on the pitch with the snowkids, playing the Lightnings' said Sonny.

'What? Has he lost it completely?' Corso growled.

'Actually, he created an opening' said Sonny.

Keyon nodded.

'I got a plan for how to smoke Hami out. Thanks to D'Jok's move, it is almost certain we'll succeed' smiled Sonny.

' If I can be of any assistance, then tell me what I need to do' said Keyon.

Sonny's face was the one of a sly smile.

'Now, here's what we need to do'...

D'Jok felt more alive than ever before. This game was doing him good. But, he could not allow himself to let the focus of the real reason he was doing this. His father would get some room to play, if he could get Hami to chase him. D'Jok pulled a towel from his bag, as they entered the wardrobe.

'Wow, D'Jok! Great match. You're wild out there' said Serina, who played midfield.

' I got the best players to play of of' smiled D'Jok and dried off.

The door opened. And Rocket entered the wardrobe with Bennett, Artie and Rose.

'Great match D'Jok. You put us in the lead. But, your time is up. Sonny's orders' said Rocket.

D'Jok didn't like it.

'I don't feel ready yet' he complained.

' You better obey D'Jok' Clamp and Dame Simbai entered.

'You're showing signs of ressonance. If need be, talk to Rocket about that' said Dame Simbai.

Rocket nodded.

'D'Jok, you don't want to go through it. You won't recover fully, ever, if you get it. I never did. I still have it from time to time. And it really makes me feel completely drained. But, unlike you D'Jok, I don't have to hide. I'm not a pirate. You are the son of Sonny, a man whom I admire greatly. I will not go against Sonny on this. If he says to pull you out, I will!'

Rocket looked at D'Jok. D'Jok knew he had everyone against him in the room.

'I'll accept it, if I hear it from Dad personally' he said.

Clamp nodded. He punched a code on the screen. Within seconds, Sonny's image appeared.

'Clamp?' the pirate's voice was sounding like a question.

'Sonny, we got a young pirate here, who seems unwilling to follow orders' said Clamp.

'Why am I not surprised at that?' said Clamp.

D'Jok made his way forth.

'Dad, I still got a lot of energy. Please, let me finish the second half' D'Jok pleaded.

'You don't think you should have informed me of this plan of yours, before you threw yourself straight into it?' Sonny asked.

D'Jok felt bad. He should have known this would come. He had let his father down again.

'Ok D'Jok. But you'll leave the pitch early. Remember, you're not a snowkid anymore, you're a pirate, and as I can see you're not wearing a key ingredient of the equippment a pirate usually never goes on the pitch without' Sonny said.

'You've been watching the entire match?' D'Jok asked.

Sonny nodded.

'I know what you tried to do, wich is why I'm not mad. But next time, remember to inform in advance son' Sonny said with a smile.

'Will do, Dad' smiled D'Jok and raised his fingers as a greeting.

'Debrief for steps 2 and 3 will be after dinner' said Sonny.

'We'll be there' said the pirates.

Then, the signal was made for the second half of the match to start.

'D'Jok apears to be on fire tonight, I've never seen him play this hard, not even in his golden age' cheered Calleigh.

'D'Jok was one of the best players of the Gf cup in his youth. I am a bit surprised to see him play, concidering the recent troubles he's had with the law' said Barry.

' What else could be expected? It is known, after all, that D'Jok is the son of the notorius pirate, Sonny Blackbones' said Noork.

'Well, that would not be the determining key as to who wins this match. Warren and D'Jok have been at each other for some time now on the pitch. It's seems that if you're once a footballer, you're allways a footballer' said Calleigh.

To D'Jok, these words was all wrapped in a mist. He had two goals with this match. One, protect his father, by luring Hami out of hiding. D'Jok wasn't sure how to do it, he just knew he had to come up with something.

A smile spread across his face. He knew what he had to do, but it was doubtfull that the pirates would see it that way. If he wanted Hami's attention turned over at himself, he had to publically mock him. D'Jok saw Warren coming in from the left. He made a leap, to push the ball forth. The net was glowing red hot as D'Jok sent the ball at full gf speed into the net.

As he knew the camera was aimed at him, D'Jok threw his now red hair backwards and grinned at the camera.

' Wanna play one on one Hami? Why don't you cut chasing Sonny, don't you know who's the heir to the throne of the pirates? Sonny Blackbones is getting ready to retire, I'll be the new leader. I can't believe you're too stupid to see that you've been set up!'.

It was risky, D'Jok knew that. But, if the pirates was to have room to work this, he needed to make sure his father could move more freely.

D'Jok made a gesture he knew would make Hami mad..

'What is he up to? Sonny, you might want to see this!' said Corso.

Sonny looked at the screeen.

'Tell Rocket to pull him out. NOW!'

Corso nodded. When Sonny was in this mood, no one would argue.

'Rocket, pull D'Jok off the pitc...'

Rocket looked at the pirate. He owed them a lot, his life. Without Sonny's knowledge on resonnance, Rocket knew they might not have been able to help him in time.

'Clamp, take over. D'Jok has to be pulled out of the match' he said.

'Rocket'

Rocket turned to Dame Simbai, who had a worried expression on her face.

'Be careful, we don't know what will happen out there' she said.

Rocket nodded. Removing D'Jok from the pitch would not be easy. But it would be worse when he reached the wardrobe. Rocket had already seen the droids start swarming.

What he wouldn't do for a little help right now...

Rose was in the tops of the stadium with Artie and Bennett. She didn't know why, but something struck her that if there would be any attack, it would come from above, aimed downwards, towards the pitch. She could see D'Jok press his communicator towards his ear. Good, that meant Rocket was passing on Sonny's orders. Sonny would not show for the match. It was too big a risk for him. As long as no one knew were Hami was hiding, they needed be careful. Rose knew that whatever Hami was planning on, he was unaware that his uncle was still alive. The pirates no 1 element of surprise. But, she had been having these dreams lately. Rose wished she had talked to Sonny about them. She feared they were a warning. She had tried to look up how dreams could be interpreted of the Black Manta's database. What she had found, did not set her mind at ease. Sonny would be in a far greater danger than ever before, because of his own past with Bleylock, the secret he had hid from his men, the galaxy, his friends.. there were those that certainly knew something, but, it was only speculation. Somehow, her gut instinct had driven her to the top of the stadium. As they entered the region, it was clear that up here was a secret hidden.

'There's a heavy presence of droids Corso, what do you want us to do?' whispered Artie.

'Get in, at all costs. Sonny and I will deal with Hami. We'll need the backup from team beta this time' sounded Corso's reply.

Rose swallowed a lump.

'Corso, Sonny, be very carefull. I sense that whatever Hami is planning, is posing a far greater danger than anything else' she said.

'Rose, don't worry. We' won't attack just yet, unless it's clear that he can be apprehended' sounded Sonny's calm voice.

'Sonny, I'm not that worried about Corso, it's you that I'm worried for' she said.

Sonny was silent for a little while. Then, he looked at her, with a mild face, through the holowatch.

' The nightterrors are back, aren't they?' he asked.

' How did you know?' she asked.

' Rose, my cabin is next to yours. I don't sleep heavy, so I've woken up several times at night, when you've been screaming' he said.

Rose recalled feeling someone holding her, comforting her.

'I wasn't dreaming, you were the one that calmed me, weren't you?' she smiled.

'And I always will, for as long as you need me to' said Sonny.

Rose knew that was a promise from him to her.

' We'll finish here, and make our way back as soon as D'Jok is off the pitch' she said.

Sonny nodded.

'D'Jok's plan will work, what we need to do, is wait for Hami to come out of hiding. He'll be furious by now, and he'll try to take it out on D'Jok. We need to get D'Jok out of harms way' Sonny said.

'We'll take out the cannons on top of the stadium then' said Bennett.

Sonny looked shocked.

'Canons? It's a trap. Hami's gonna attack the snowkids, and the lightnings, using their own flux against them. Destroy the canons, That's an order!'.

The sheer panic in Sonny's voice made the pirates charge at the droids, and use magnetic discs to disable them. Rose rushed towards the canons. They were glowing, getting ready to fire.

'No!' Rose rushed forth to stop it, but too late. A purpleish layer of energy formed, Rose was thrown backwards.

'Rose!' Artie cought her.

Bennett ran towards the window.

'D'Jok!' he yelled.

The players on the pitch was falling over like dropping flies. But that wasn't the worst of it. D'Jok had made a leap for the ball as the energyfield closed in on them. He was held in midair, and it looked like he was beeing fried alive...

_Will D'Jok survive? What is Hami planning on? What was it Rose saw in her nightnmares? And is Sonny nothing more than a decoy, or is he a primetarget? And how will the pirates rally back at the villain over this? I know I will try not to make you hold your breaths for too long. I would like to ask you to rewiew this chapter, and please, do adress the questions you may have. I'll try to answer them all, but I would like you to bring them forth, so i can adress them in the story._


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Chrashing down

Sonny, Keyon and Corso had reached the entrance to Hami's lab. Corso set his mechanical eye to deep scan, at the same time, he was very concious of Sonny working to open a hatch to enter the ventilation ducts. Keyon was confused.

'Are you sure you ought to trust me to learn this Sonny? Do you know for sure I won't use this against you at a later time?' he asked. Sonny continued to work, unnaffected.

'If that was what you planned on Keyon, you made a crucial error by coming straight to a known hang out place for the pirates. Didn't you think that someone that didn't belong in the usual crowd, would raise the alarms?' he asked.

Keyon nodded.

'But, the fact that Hami did hire you and two others to track me down, and seize me, leaves some room for the element of surprise' said Sonny with a grin.

'You got a plan up your sleeve Sonny?' asked Corso.

Sonny smiled.

'Corso, you know that a plan forms within seconds when I work on it.. And the more emminent the danger, the faster I think

' he said.

'I wouldn't know why he's so interrested in you Sonny, but it's enough to make me very happy I'm not in your place' said Keyon.

Sonny didn't look up.

' His little invention won't work as planned without something only I know of, and it will stay that way' he said.

'You lost me Sonny' said Keyon confused.

Sonny rose to his full height.

'Keyon, this is all about total control of the Galaxy. If Hami gets that much power, he will be the supreme ruler. The Galaxy as we know it, will be nothing but a faint memory' he said.

Keyon was in shock.

'I wouldn't know anything about weapons like that Sonny. You know I was never paying too much attention in science class at school. It is thanks to your help I passed those classes.I hunt down escapees for a living Sonny, I'm a professional bounty hunter' he said.

Corso and Sonny exchanged glances.

' Back in the days, I was more like you' sighed Sonny, as he turned his back on both of them.

'To me, science was my life. I achieved amazing results with all I worked with, a situation where you could say all I touched turned to gold. I got a well paid job as one of their best scientists. All of that happened around the same time I married my wife, Niobe' said Sonny.

Corso could tell when the dark shaddow appeared in Sonny's eyes, like they always did when he spoke of the love of his life, the woman that still, decades after her death, held Sonny's heart in her hands. Corso had hoped for his friend, confidante and leader, that he would heal from this. But, he knew that with the time passing, it would be harder and harder for Sonny to do this. There was women, that had clearly shown interest in Sonny, when they would join gatherings. And Corso knew Sonny would be polite if they approached him, but unlike his men, who wouldn't mind leaving with a girl, Sonny was the one that returned to his own bed, a cold and lonely one, each night.

'You're married? I didn't know' said Keyon.

'Was married' Sonny corrected him.

'What happened? Out of all my friends, I would have thought you would be the one to have at least 6 kids by now' Keyon said.

Sonny looked away.

'I only had one with the one that I loved. My son, D'Jok. And even with him, there is much that I missed out on. His entire childhood' said Sonny.

'Sonny!' Corso placed the hand to his shoulder.

'It's ok Corso' Sonny said, and placed a hand on top of Corso's, to show him he appreciated the concern the friend expressed. Keyon just looked at the two pirates.

' I was certain, when the ship my pregnant wife was in, was shot down, that I lost them both, her, our child. It made me flee, there was no reason to stay on. If I had, I would have been arrested by General Bleylock, the officer above me and my labpartner. My boss, and my worst nightmare' Sonny spat the last words out, as if it had left a bad taste in his mouth.

Keyon was starting to piece things together.

'General Bleylock? As in Hami's father?' he asked.

Sonny nodded it.

'Starting to get an idea of just why this is becoming a very personal matter, to both Hami and myself?' he asked.

Keyon nodded.

' What you told me, leads me to think you'd be in grave danger if you go up against him Sonny' he said.

Corso nodded it.

'To Sonny, Hami poses a greater danger than most. It's not coincidental that the bounty was raised when it was. Hami needs Sonny to help him finish his mixed flux, the second version of multiflux' said Corso.

'How do you know that's what he's making?' Keyon wanted to know.

'I've seen the stadium. The rigging is set to pull flux from the stadium and into huge containers. There is litterally no bomb that could ever have a more devestating effect. Hami is pretty much there, except for one thing' said Sonny.

'What is that Sonny?' asked Corso.

' In it's present state, the mulitflux is highly detectable. It would leave a trail right back to where he's hiding. Hami needs to conceal his tracks. With the metaflux, this was sucessfully undertaken' Sonny said.

'Metaflux? What is that?' Keyon looked possibly more confused now.

'The Metaflux was a synthetical made flux, designed to be used for footballdroids, to improve Technoid's chances in the Galactik football cup. The problem was, the metaflux was invicible to radar, it could not be detected. Bleylock tried to find the secret, by erasing the memories of one of the scientists that worked the project. But, he had made an error, as this scientist didn't know what that keyingredient was. The other scientist did, and he had long since turned on the company, are you following what I'm telling you?' Sonny asked.

Keyon nodded. He realized who the scientist Sonny was talking about was.

'You're that scientist Sonny, aren't you?' he asked.

Sonny nodded.

'That makes sense. That's why he's so eager to have you captured' said Keyon.

Sonny grinned.

'Well, it's his lucky day then, as he's about to have his wish granted' he said.

'Sonny, are you out of your mind?' said Corso.

'No Corso, but for us to get close enough to apprehend Hami, we need to take some chances. And this is a bait that will be hard for him to resist' smiled Sonny.

Corso could tell, from Sonny's facial expression, that he had a plan. A sly grin formed on his face.

'So, what's the plan Sonny?' he asked...

Rose had made sure to disable all the canons as fast as she could. She only hoped D'Jok wasn't too badly injured. He had fallen pretty hard. Luckily, Rocket had not made it out on the pitch when the attack took place. Bennett had asked him to pull D'Jok off the pitch and straight to Dame simbai's infirmary. The pirates had hurried down, to see Dame Simbai work on D'Jok.

'He's in bad shape, but still alive. We should inform Sonny' she said.

'No, not now. Sonny is on a mission, we are not to distrub, he'll make contact when he is done' said Bennett hastily.

Clamp looked at him.

'I know better than to ask' he said.

'You don't want to know' said Artie.

Meanwhile, Rose had sat down next to D'Jok. She looked at him. Seemingly, D'Jok's body was unharmed. But, his breathing was shallow. Dame Simbai noticed too.

'We should let him rest, and have some oxygen. D'Jok took a bad beating on this' she said and placed the mask gently on his face.

Rose nodded, and looked towards the lockerrom. The snowkids had more or less bounced back after the vicious attack, but still seemed out of shape.

'They're all suffering from a mild form of resonnance' said Clamp thoughtful, before his gaze wandered of to D'Jok.

'But D'Jok was high above the ground, why did it hit him so much harder? And how are we gonna tell this to Sonny? He'll be livid' said Clamp.

'First, D'Jok has to be sustained in his current condition, then, we'll take him back to the ship' said Rose.

'Negative Rose. D'Jok is in too bad a shape for that. He has to remain here untill he's strong enough to make it back to the ship' Dame Simbai said.

All of the snowkids staff was deeply worried. What in the Galaxy was that beam that had hit the two teams on the pitch so hard? It wasn't metaflux, Clamp would have known if that was the case, and no multiflux either. What had Hami created for this attack? It seemed more vicious than any flux yet.

Clamp had a worried expression on his face.

'Whatever you're doing Sonny, be carefull. If D'Jok can't make it, you are truly our last hope, once again, to bring peace back to the galaxy'...

Hami was overly satisfied with the results of his weapon. The snowkids had been spread like flies on the ground, D'Jok appeared to have been fried in midair. Well, that problem was solved. The heir to the pirates throne, D'Jok Blackbones, couldn't have survived that blast anymore than his oh so naive uncle had survived the shot to the chest. Hami knew it had been bleeding bad. And, as a bonus, he had the pirates framed for the act. Poor Blackbones. He really was a naive person, it was strange that he could make such a grand leader for them. But perhaps this naivity was what made him eatable for them? Hami had no way to know. He knew, deep down, even his uncle had a soft spot for the pirates. He hardly did anything at all to chase them. Infact, it was like he knew, he would never be able to capture Sonny. And still, when Hami had rewiewed old surveilance recordings from his uncle's office, he had come across severals, where it seemed his uncle was having meetings with Sonny. Sadly, he couldn't hear what they spoke of, but clearly, they were on the same side. Sonny didn't even seem nervous about turning his back on him. Hami wanted to know what was going on there. Had there been some kind of secret cooperation on the pirates side with Technoid? And why had he not been notified? A buzzer made him go check the cameras guarding the entrance to his hideout. He checked. So, K had returned, but not alone. He brought someone with him, and that someone had his hands tied on his back. Who was the prisoner? It couldn't be, could it? Hami zoomed the lence closer. A smile formed on his lips. This was his lucky day. K would soon become a very rich man...if he didn't kill him first. The prisoner, was none other than the most wanted pirate in the galaxy in person. From the looks of it, there had been a struggle, and Sonny had obviously taken a punch that had knocked him out. Hami grinned, as he opened the door to let them in...

Keyon really hoped Corso had tied the ropes so that Sonny could get out of them without struggle. He needed Sonny to help him on this. Hami was unbalanced, and Keyon knew Sonny stood the best chance of getting close to him. Also, Sonny was a skilled fighter, and would know how to get away unscaved. Sonny seemed relaxed though. The make up had made it seem he had been hit in the head. Keyon just hoped Sonny was just a good an actor as he was leader of the pirates. Hami was no fool. Sonny would really have to play dazed this time. Keyon gently pushed the lasergun against Sonny's back.

'We're here Master Maddox' he said.

Sonny had to hold back a laugh that threatened to escape. Master? Someone really thought highly of themselves. Typical familytrade, he recalled. Slowly, Sonny walked forwards. He had already started working the ropes that bound his hands, to be ready when faced with the enemy. Even though Sonny was playing dazed, he was continuously observing his surroundings. A pirate could never rely on sight alone, that was why they trained on using their hearing, smell, touch, everything that could help a pirate escape, even in a crippled state. Team Beta was in position, as soon as Corso was ready, they would act.

'oh..my head.. who's there?' Sonny acted like he was still not completely out of being knocked out.

A figure stood in front of him.

'Well well, we meet again Sonny Blackbones. I see you finally decided to make sure someone could claim the bounty on your head' he said.

Keyon grabbed Sonny's shoulder, and pulled him backwards.

'Not so fast Master Maddox, he's not yours untill you show me the money!' Keyon said.

'I do not have the money here' said Hami.

'Ok, untill I get my money, you won't have Blackbones. Untill you pay, he remains in my custody' Keyon said.

Sonny had seen the little twitch in Hami's eye. He was most definately his fathers son. The son of a monster. Sonny knew he was more than qualified to have an opinion on that. But, there was one big difference. Bleylock was dangerous to deal with, no doubt about that. But, Hami outranked him several times.

Sonny made sure to look down, as if he remained dazed. He could hear, through an earplug, that his team was in position.

Corso would soon give the order to attack...

'WHAT?' Corso whispered, but didn't like the sound of what Bennett was telling him.

D'Jok was still unconcious after an attack on the snowkids and the Lightnings on the pitch.

'We have sustained him, and we made sure he got a dose of the medication Sonny prepared in advance. But, D'Jok was in the air, whereas the snowkids was on the pitch. He was litterally fried Corso' said Bennett concerned.

' Great, that's just fantastic. Sonny never should have allowed him to play in the first place' growled Corso.

'Can't chaneg that now. Where are you at?' asked Bennett.

'Keyon and Sonny went in the main entrance. Sonny is pretending he was captured' said Corso.

' Typical Sonny. But is this wise?' asked Bennett.

'It remains be seen. Sonny has to come close to Hami to apprehend him. I don't know what he's planning to do, but it's something' said Corso.

He slowly snuck closer, to be able to see what was going on in the room below...

Sonny was focused, trying to get a picture on where his men was positioned. The ropes would more or less slide of, if he made a move with his hands. But for now, he made sure not to act suspicious. Hami could not become aware yet, that he was litterally holding the tiger by the tail.

'I'll make sure you have your money shortly, K. Meanwhile, will you please escort Mr. Blackbones over to the chair that's been made for him?' Hami asked.

Keyon knew that Hami wasn't to be trusted. He felt in doubt as to what to do. As his hand was resting on Sonny's back, he could feel Sonny tense up for a sec, as he heard things. Seemingly, Hami didn't suspect a thing. Keyon could feel that Sonny was getting ready for an attack. Slowly, they walked towards the chair.

'Don't you take this personal Sonny, you'll soon join your son, as soon as I have what I want' Hami said.

Keyon barely had time to react. Sonny made a sound, like a wild and wounded animal, before he made a jolt that released his hands from the ropes. Before anyone could stop him, Sonny threw himself at Hami.

'What have you done to my son?' Sonny demanded to know.

Hami laughed. A laughter that made it go cold down their backs.

'Seriously Sonny, you didn't think I was unaware of what he was trying to do, when he insulted me out on the pitch did you?' Hami laughed.

'What have you done to D'Jok? ANSWER ME!' Sonny lifted Hami with one arm and held him against the wall.

'Calm yourself Blackbones, it's already too late for your son' laughed Hami.

Corso and the Beta team stood behind them. Sonny's face shifted through emotions. Then, he threw Hami aside.

'Corso, deal with this scum! I have to either have what he's saying confirmed or denied'.

Sonny all of a sudden looked very old. The years on the run, Sonny had hidden it well, but this time..it was clear to see he wasn't young anymore.

'Sonny...' Corso walked towards him.

'No Corso, leave me be. I need to be alone' said Sonny.

The pain was showing. Corso knew he couldn't reach his friend at this stage.

'Sonny, Call Dame Simbai. She'll inform you' he said.

Sonny nodded.

Corso turned and left the room. There had been times, he had feared for Sonny before, but never like this. Corso didn't know what D'Jok's condition was like. And right now, Sonny needed to clear his head, to think.

' Tie Hami up, and take him to our interrogation cell' ordered Corso.

'Where is Sonny?' asked Keyon.

Corso looked at him.

'Give him time to digest this, and check what's true and not' Corso sighed and sat down on a chair.

'Corso, Don't!' yelled Keyon, but too late.

The process initiated, Keyon knew was intended for Sonny. But now, Corso was trapped in the chair, the same chair that would allow them all to read his memories.

Corso tried to free himself.

Keyon could see what looked like three needles come out from what looked like a helmet. He tried to grab it, to stop the machine.

'Someone, HELP!'...

Sonny was just done talking to Dame Simbai, when he heard Keyon's cry for help. He ran out the door and into the room. The sight that met him, was horrififying. Keyon was trying to pull the needles in the helmet away. But he proved too weak.

Corso was fighting to get free. Sonny stormed towards them. All happened as in a very slow moving movie scene. The needles sunk into Corso's head, one of them shortcircuited his mechanical eye. Corso screamed in pain. It felt like forever, but was over in a few seconds. Corso's real eye was wide open, it was like Sonny could see how his memory was taken from him, and transfeered somewhere else.

He could see the smoke after it was done.

'No, CORSO!'

Sonny pulled his friend out of the chair.

Corso was not responding...

_this was a twist as to what I had originally planned. But I figured that since these kind of things always happen to Sonny, it would add a new dimension to the story, if it happened to someone else. So, I chose Corso. And how will this play out, now that D'Jok is injured, and Corso also seems to be in a bad state? Will Sonny have to fight this war with new allies, and none of his usuall righthands to seek support? Will the pirates be victorious in saving the galaxy once more? Or will they too find themselves defeated? Is Hami Maddox the one that will achieve the victory that Bleylock and Harris craved for? Keep reading and the answers will be revealed._


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 23: Desperation

Two beds.. the two that meant the most to him in life, one in each bed... Sonny felt helpless, as he looked through the glasswall that kept the room Corso and D'Jok was in, sterile. Rose had dressed in protective suits along with Bennett and Artie, to tend to them. A sound indicated that the door to the observatory was opened.

'I take it...Hami escaped, right?'

Duke Maddox.

Sonny could only nodd. His voice wouldn't bare at this moment.

'Don't ask me how, or when, but we'll find him. And when we do, I guarrantee he'll pay for this' said Sonny.

His fists was clenched so hard that his fingernails left marks in the palms of his hands.

Duke Maddox approached him.

'We need to smoke him out. Things are already starting to take a turn for the worse' he said.

Sonny nodded..again.

'Had it been Bleylock, I would have known where to look' he said.

Duke Maddox sighed.

'You were the one that knew the most about him Sonny. Bleylock knew. But, he kept the truth from you, to be able to lead you blind'.

'Huh?' Sonny turned to face Duke Maddox.

An expression of shock could be seen on the pirate chief's face.

Duke Maddox looked sad.

'General Bleylock saw you as his greatest rival Sonny, and with good reasons. He knew of the secrets of Technoid at the time. He broke into my classified files, when I was looking for someone to fill the position on my righthand man. By taking action, and framing you, he made sure to block your possibliities to advance, and really understand what he was doing' the Duke said.

Sonny swallowed hard.

' Bleylock was looking to start a new galactik fluxwar, wasn't he?' he asked silently.

Duke Maddox nodded.

'He kept me and the entire security force within technoid running blind. We thought the metaflux you and clamp were working on, was for footballdroids' he said.

'He never showed you the progressreports, did he?' Sonny's hazels had turned dark.

'He said you never made any such reports' said Duke Maddox.

Sonny nodded. He had expected it.

'The perfect way to rid himself of his biggest rival' said Duke Maddox.

Sonny started to get a sense there was something the Duke was telling him, between the lines.

'Rather than walking in circles, why don't you tell me who his biggest rival was, and why?' he suggested.

Duke Maddox looked at him.

'You didn't already know?' he asked.

'I have a feeling I might, but I want to hear you say it, Your Excellency' Sonny said.

'Bleylock had only one potential rival, one that could have taken all from him. He underestimated him, wildly'.

'Who was he, Your Excellency?' Sonny felt his heart skip a beat.

'Bleylocks biggest rival, was you Sonny' Duke maddox said.

'Why? I was only a scientist' Sonny said.

'You underestimate your own worth Sonny. You were the choise I would have prefeered. But, it didn't turn out that way' said Duke maddox.

Sonny nodded.

'And now, we're at war with his son. Bleylock was crazy, but Hami.. even Harris becomes childsplay in comparison. And back then, Harris was the worst threat the galaxy had faced' Sonny said.

'If I could access Technoid's medical base, undetected, we have medication that can heal Corso and D'Jok' said Duke Maddox.

Sonny rubbed his chin.

'It's dangerous, but we have to take a chance' said Sonny.

He called for one of his best hackers.

' Stevens, see to it that Duke Maddox taps into the technoid systems undetected. Avoid all alarms. We must be totally invicible this time, or Hami might track us' he said.

'Right away Boss!' said Stevens and led Duke Maddox to the hackers units.

'Can you trust him, Sonny?' Keyon asked.

'Not long ago, I would have asked you the same. We fight the same enemy. We have to fight together, or we will all loose' Sonny said.

'You sound like you got a plan?' Keyon asked.

Sonny faced him.

' Let's see wheter Bleylock was right. He claimed, constantly, that I was always a day late, and a standard unit short at all times. I intend to prove him dead wrong'.

'So, what's first?' Keyon asked.

'Inform the agents on Genesis, in particular one, on the recent events, I am going to go all out to stop and apprehend Hami' said Sonny.

'You'll need help Sonny' he said.

Sonny nodded.

'It's time, to call in reinforcements. If worst comes to worst, it will be a life and death matter. It will either be my life, or Hami's' Sonny said...

Mei, Sinedd, Sunja and Micro- Ice was horrified when they heard Sonny's report.

'Will he pull through?' piped Micro- Ice.

Sonny looked at him. Micro- Ice was to D'Jok what Corso was to him. A brother from another mother. The one always there, for support. Micro- Ice had come a long way from the scared kid he had been the first time Sonny met him in the ventilation ducts at the Aarch academy. Back then, Micro- Ice was a scared kid, who had been hurt beyond belief by his bestfriend, and decided to leave. If not for an unlikely chain of events, Sonny was not sure if he would have found out the truth about his son. Seeing Micro- Ice in particular like this, made Sonny realise, he needed to speak to him, in person.

'I don't know Micro- Ice. If I could answer that one truthfully, I would tell you' Sonny said.

He continued to inform his agents in genesis, and handed out tasks and stake out areas.

'Hawkins will be your commander on this. I'll be a bit...incapaciated' he said.

As the team was about to leave the room, Sonny spoke again.

'Micro- Ice, wait. I want to talk to you..alone' he said.

Micro- Ice nodded, and closed the door on Mei and the others. Something told him this was between him and Sonny.

' Sir?' he said.

'Micro- Ice. You were the first of the snowkids that I met. I did not know what kind of impact that meeting would have on my life, on D'Jok's life, Clamps.. but, because of you, I survived to find out that I had a son. A son wich is now fighting for his very life. Now, Corso is in an even worse state than D'Jok. But, there is still hope. I have been informed of the fact that Technoid posess medication that will help' Sonny stoped, to see if Micro- Ice was following.

' Are you asking me to take the job to find it?' Micro- Ice asked.

The raven haired young man looked serious as he asked.

'It's a mission that is too dangerrous for me to ask anyone to carry out alone. Usually, I would have asked Corso..but..' Sonny sighed.

'You're asking me, Sir?' Micro- Ice was surprised.

Sonny nodded.

'I need to warn you Micro- Ice. This is dangerous. I wouldn't do this, unless it was absolutely necessary' he said.

'I will do this with you Sonny. For D'Jok, For Corso, and for the galaxy. We deserve the right to live in freedom, and thanks to the pirates relentless effort, we have had a great peace for decades now. Who does Hami Maddox think he is anyway? He can't just take that away from us' said Micro- Ice.

Sonny nodded.

'Meet me at this adress in two hours' he said and gave Micro- Ice the meeting point.

'Make sure you're not followed'...

Hami had made sure to strenghten all security within Technoid. Like his father, he was paranoid about security. Bleylock had failed because he underestimated Sonny Blackbones, his former lover. Hami wondered wheter Sonny had ever told anyone of this relationship. How would his men see him, if they knew their dearly beloved leader had once been their worst enemy's lover? Not by way of force, like some of the pirates had been forced to, but willingly, by his own wish. Hami suspected it would weaken Sonny's position with his men. But he needed concrete proof of this, if he was to go after Sonny this way. The fact that the pirate was hiding, and one of his hired bounty hunters had joined the pirates, was not good. Sonny was dangerous, and he had to stop him. He needed to force the secret on how to make the flux invicible to radar and everything else out of the pirate. Sonny was not going to tell. He had been so close. The only thing that had come from it, was sending D'Jok into a comalike state, fried like a chicken, and then fry the brain of sonny's righthand man, Corso. By now, Sonny would start to grow desperate. He'd make a mistake that would lead to his capture. Hami would be ready. HE had thought of everything. Not knowing it, Hami was repeating his fathers biggest mistake. He underestimated his enemy..

Rose had done what she could for D'Jok. He was growing stronger now. But, to completely heal him, she needed help. Rose had gradually regained her memories, little by little. It was still in bits and pieces. But she knew what she had to do. She had to return to Gorn, to seek the help of the woman that had given birth to her. Did Sonny know that it was due to his intervention, that she was alive? How close her mother had become to being raped by Hami's father? That the girl he had saved from the whip, was her mother? So many questions. Corso...Rose turned to look at Sonny's closest man. The respect and love Corso had for Sonny, was rare, and his loyalty could never be misinterpreted. Corso would gladly sacrifice himself if it meant Sonny would survive. Rose had seen Sonny's distress now that it wasn 't sure wheter Corso would make it. She had started to grow worried for the man that had more or less been like a fatherfigure to her for the past decade. If the pirates lost Sonny, she could not see how they would rise from it. They needed him to lead the way, and give them a reason to continue their work.

'Rose?' Artie looked at her.

'Give Corso something tthat will allow for as deep a sleep as possible. His brain needs to heal, and the best way, is for him to sleep' she said.

'And D'Jok?' asked Bennett.

'I need help!' she said.

'We don't have the meds for this onboard, only Technoid has those' said Bennett.

'I'm not talking about meds. I need a different kind of help' she said.

'Like what?' asked a surprised Artie.

'I need help from my own family, on Gorn' she said.

'That's insane. Sonny will never allow us to do something like that' said Bennett.

'He has to. It's either that, or D'Jok will die' said Rose.

She hated beeing so hard, but this was the brutal reality.

'Ok, but then you have to ask him. The mood he's in nowdays, I'd be carefull asking him anything' said Artie.

Bennett nodded agreeingly.

'You two hold the fortress here. I'll go talk to Sonny' she said.

She left the room and took off the protective suit. Then, she threw it in the trash.

A quick stop at the ships commandcenter, revealed no sign of Sonny.

'Does anyone know where he is?' she asked the men on duty.

'He said something about a meeting. Most likely, you'll find him in his cabin'.

Rose nodded. As she reached Sonny's cabin, she knocked on the door.

'Come in!' she heard him yell.

She entered.

On the bed, she could see one of the pirates latest inventions. A full bodyarmour. It would shield against laserbeams and shots of all kinds. Besides that, she could see Sonny's toolkit placed next to it. From the clothes, it was apparant he was taking a shower.

'Sonny, I need to ask you something' she said.

Sonny came out of a nearby room, with only a towel wrapped round his slim waist.

'What's the matter Rose?' his calm eyes were cautious, as if he expected bad news.

' I need help, to heal D'Jok' she said.

Sonny nodded.

'I'll be entering Technoid's facility on sublevel 12 with an agent shortly. We'll be able to retrieve the meds Duke Maddox told me about from there' he said.

'And what if it's a trap Sonny? We can't afford anything happening to you. Not now that both Corso and D'Jok are taken out!'.

'I'll be careful Rose. It shouldn't take long' Sonny tried to calm her.

'Sonny..' Rose sighed.

'The meds will only do so much. I need help, from Gorn' she said.

Sonny looked at her. Slowly, he sat down beside her.

'I know. This is too much for you alone. Your powers are still growing. We'll leave for Gorn as soon as I return from the mission with the meds' he said.

' Be careful Sonny!' Rose said.

Sonny nodded.

Rose left, as Sonny suited up. The bodyarmour was indeed uncomfortable, but there was very little he could do about that.

Slowly, Sonny tightened and secured all the triggermechanisms that needed function to ensure his and Micro- Ice's safety. Once he was satisfied, he put on a cloak and a pair of googles. He felt no need to advertise his presence. Then, after letting his men know, he left the ship...

Rose was very quiet. She was headed for Gorn, her place of birth. She struggled with mixed feelings. She could only remember fractions here and there, but, she knew it was both a good and a bad thing to return too soon. Whoever had sent her to Shiloh, had good reasons. That someone had known she would be protected there. But protected from what? And whom? Somehow, she always had the feeling that both Corso and Sonny knew, but had for some reason decided not to tell her. She sat in her cabin, meditating. A low knock on the door was heard.

'Who?' she asked.

' Me' said the voice.

'Sonny!' Rose jumped to her feets and opened the door, just to throw herself at him.

'I'm so glad your back safely' she whispered as she hugged him.

'Rose..' she could feel him giggle.

'This mission was a walk in the park. A quick job. The real deal starts now!' he said.

'Have you given the meds to D'Jok and Corso?' she asked.

Sonny nodded.

'Now, it's the waiting game. And as we wait, we return to Gorn' he said.

Rose looked at him.

'You know, you'll have to come with me to the planet this time, don't you?' she asked.

'I know. It won't be all that easy to do. I saw things..experienced things there, that makes me feel sick that it could even take place' he said.

Rose clenched his hand.

'But we have to go' she said.

Sonny placed his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest.

'Does it scare you?' he asked mildly.

' Yes, but the thought of loosing both D'Jok and Corso frightens me even more. I'll do what I have to do, to save them. D'Jok is like a brother to me, and Corso like a grumpy uncle sometimes, but I love them both, no matter what' she said.

Sonny nodded.

'I promise, we'll save them. Then,we'll stop Hami' he said.

Rose nodded.

She didn't tell him of her latest discovery. The gift of clear voyance.

Rose knew, the time was running out for one of her closest friends. Soon, one of the men she had laughed with, trained with, shared worries and countless other things, would no longer be there. They would loose one. Her greatest sadness was.. she could not tell who they would loose...

_This chapter ends like this, to keep the excitement in the story. Rose will be a main in the next chapter, and possibly also the following chapter. She still has a lot to learn. But with a little help from her friends, she'll succeeed. Rewiews anyone?_


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: New allies

Rose looked worried. The Dark rings, surrounding Gorn, kept coming closer. She recalled D'Jok and Corso's reaction when they passed throug the thick, brown belt. Sonny had dressed in an attire that was suitable for men like him on the planet. Rose just hoped he wouldn't be recognized. Bleylock's father still ruled on Gorn, and from what she had heard, He and Sonny wasn't exactly on the friendly side with eachother. If he found out that Sonny was on Gorn, they would be in big trouble. Bleylock's father was known to hold grudges. And Sonny was blamed for Bleylock's death. Rose looked over at him. Sonny seemed to be lost in his own world of thougts. What was going on in his mind, no one knew.

'Sonny!'

The calling of his name, made him return to the world of the living. Sonny looked over at Artie, who had called to him.

' The pressure is starting to build, and as we recall, Corso and D'Jok had to use oxygen to get through a six minute gap. You may have recupperated Sonny, but I hear a slight wheasing sound when you breathe now. Why don't you put an oxygen mask on right now? So that you breathe easier?' said Artie concerned.

Sonny nodded, and took the mouthpiece and placed it over his nose and mouth. Rose could hear how he slowly breathed the oxygen deep into his lungs. Sonny had selected a small team to accompany him and her to Gorn.

As they closed in, all of the pirates put oxygenmasks on. All communication, was now made by handsignals. Rose felt the pressure around her chest, as they entered the thick mud ring. It felt like a giant hand tried to squeeeze all the air out of her. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Sonny sat beside her, and his hazels seemed worried. She signaled that she was fine. The six minutes felt like years. They were nearly endless. But, all of a sudden, it let go. No warning what so ever. The pirates took of their masks.

'How in Shiloh's name did you manage to get through this on your escape?' Artie wondered.

' There's been somekind of protection within the capsule. There was no airtanks, D'Jok and I cheeked' said Sonny.

'I.. can't recall anything' said Rose.

'Some memories, are best left in the past Rose, for your own good' said Sonny.

The trip continued in silence.

Artie followed a map that Corso had made of the area. They landed the ship in the exact same location that Corso and D'Jok had parked, and activated a cloaking device to hide the ship.

As they turned to head towards the farm of Andours and Mariah's, Sonny put on some googles and a mask. He had been here before, and not everyone would be friendly. If they recognized him, it could jeopardize the entire plan. And right now, the very lives of D'Jok and Corso, depended on this plans success. No one could tell how much the thought of loosing either one of them, troubled Sonny. The nightmares kept him awake at night. Would he be able to see things through with his best friend, and would he ever be able to tell his son, how proud he was of him?

'Wich way Artie?' he asked behind the mask.

Artie pointed. Soon, the group of six was headed towards Andour's home. Just like when D'Jok and Corso had gotten here, the group found Andour outside. But this time, Andour made sure to show his guests to the barn before they were introduced. As Rose entered the room, they could see tears in Andours eyes.

'Our choosen one. She's returned' he whispered.

Rose imidiately knew he spoke of her.

'I don't know what I can do to help my people, I just know I have to do something' she said.

'Seeing you, gives me hope, choosen one' said Andour and took her hands.

Then, his gaze looked at the group of men behind her. All of them, clearly pirates, just like the last two that had visited. But one man stayed in the background. A tall man, but there was something familiar about him. Andour knew he had met that man before. He looked closely at the man wearing the mask and googles. He realised who this had to be. The most wanted, and hunted man in the entire galaxy.

'It is an honour to meet you, Sonny Blackbones' he said, and held out his hand.

Sonny took a few steps forth and took Andours hand. But, in doing so, the sleeve on his right arm was pulled up. A nasty scar showed. Andour gasped when he saw it.

'I'Son?' he asked.

Sonny nodded.

'You choose what name you wish to call me by, Master Andour' he said.

'It's been a long time I'Son. We were told you were killed, in Akillian. Something about a bomb of somekind'.

'It's a long, sad story Master. One we don't have time for right now. The galaxy is in danger. The danger General Bleylock ever posed, is nothing in comparison to this' he whispered.

Andour nodded.

'You have come to seek the help of a nation turned into slaves, I'Son. That alone shows the desperation this is causing. But I sense two of our fellow friends are missing today?' he said.

Sonny removed his mask. His hazels looked very shiny as he looked at Andour.

'Corso, my right hand man, and D'Jok, my precious son, have both fallen victims to Hami Maddox scheemes. D'Jok was attacked with a form of flux unknown to me, while playing a football match, he's reccuperated a little, but has now remained unconcious for a full week. Corso..he saved my life, Hami fried his brain. A trap intended for me, but Corso sat on a stool, without knowing what it was meant for, and ended up in a critical state. We concidered both of them too weak to pass through the planets defense lines' said Sonny.

Rose heard him chooked a sob. Andour nodded, and placed his hands to Sonny's shoulders.

'Once, before anyone knew of our lives here, you were the first to bare witness of what was going on here. It changed your wiew on certain people. Especially your wiew on the Bleylock family, who have ruled here for far too long. You made sure to pass the information you recieved on to others who were in position to do something about it. It's not your fault that they chose to do nothing. And when Bleylock found out what you had done, he took it out on you. You were made to suffer for what you did. Now, you've come to ask our help, to save your best friend and your son. We will help you. You once saved the last hope we had, that our world would one day be free. Come my friends. We can't stay here. There are still guards who patrol these grounds. If you're found I'Son, they will not hessitate to kill you. We will make sure you get to rest, and at nightfall, we'll lead you to the ones that can help' Andour said.

Sonny nodded, but everyone could tell it lifted a ton of stones of his shoulders.

'Thank you Master' he smiled...

Sinedd was looking at the two fellows over in the left hand corner of his bar. Not beeing a known agent of the pirates, made it easier for him to operate in the shaddows. Mei was in the backroom with Micro- Ice and Sunja. Sinedd sent a small signal , telling them to turn on the surveilancescreen for the bar.

'Check the two fellows in the left' he said.

'Looks like bounty hunters' said Mei.

'Think they could be on to us?' asked Sunja.

Micro- Ice looked at them, for a long time. Then he made sure a discreete surveilance photo was taken.

'Scramble this in a message,and send it to the black manta. Have Thran analyze it. These could be Keyons friends' he said.

'Shouldn't we follow them afterwards? If they're working for Hami, they could lead us to his hideout' said Sunja excited.

So far, all of the missions she had taken part in, was boring. Now, she wanted action.

Sinedd was worried when he heard that.

'take over here!' he said to one of his staffmembers, before he headed to the back.

'Sunja, I love you littlesis, but remember what happened soon after you met me? When all the three of you were abducted?' he said.

Sunja looked down. She did not like it when her brother yelled at her.

' Yeah, and?' she asked.

'This guy, Hami. He is more dangerours than all of that and a few other things combined. We don't know if D'Jok will survive what he did to him, or Corso for that matter. We have to show caution' Sinedd said.

Mei agreed.

'But, it would be cool if we were the ones to tell Sonny where he could find Hami' she said.

Micro- Ice looked up, and at the same time started a call on his screen.

'I might have an idea' he said.

'Just make sure it's an idea that will fly, Micro- Ice' said Sinedd.

By now, the team was used to Micro- Ice getting ideas, but not neccisarrily following through on them.

'Relax sinedd, I'm sure Clamp has some gadgets we can use' said Micro- Ice.

Clamp listened to the young man as he lay down the situation.

'I'll help you in one condition' he said.

'Ok, what is that?' Micro- Ice wanted to know.

'You only locate Hami, don't do anything untill Sonny's back. I love you kids too much to have you go after this monster and get yourselves killed' he said.

' I think you're more worried what Sonny would do, if he found out that you had been helping us with this, and something bad happened' said Mei.

Clamp sighed.

'\Sonny's reaction is the least of my concerns' he said.

He then proceeded to tell the former snowkids how to use a small, buglike, fly to track the men.

'And be carefull' he said, before he ended the transmission.

Micro- Ice carefully activated the fly.

'How are we gonna place it?' he asked.

'Leave that to me!' said Sunja, and before enyone could stop her, she was serving the two men beers.

'I ought to..' Sinedd said, clenching fists.

'Well, looks like she's turning on the charm' said Mei and pointed to the screen.

'She's become a real beauty since you met her the first time' said Micro- Ice.

'You just stay away from her' said Sinedd, before he too turned his attention to the screen...

'Here ya go, you look thirsty. On the house' said Sunja as she placed the pints in front of two of them.

The third looked at her.

'This is a party of three miss, get me a beer too!' he demanded.

'Now, there's no need to be rude. I only have two arms, these beerjugs are heavy, and it would only make you have to wait longer if I broke the jugs, wouldn't it?' she smiled.

But the third man made cold chills run down her spine. The man they were looking for, Hami, he was here, in her brothers bar, meeting with these two men. As she reached the counter, to fill the third jug, she used her microphone.

'Stay alert, Hami is here'.

'WHAT? In my bar?' thundered Sinedd.

'Act like you just did, when you approach him with his beer' said Mei.

A part of her was excited to know that Hami was crawling out of hiding, just like Sonny had predicted, but another part of her was scared. At some point, this guy had been a real slimebucket towards her, when she turned down all his moves on her. Sunja had to be carefull, If Hami decided to hit on her, she'd be in trouble.

'Here you go sir, have a pleasant evening' smiled Sunja as she put down the beerjug infront of Hami.

'Thank you. On the house, right?' he asked.

'Off course' Sunja smiled.

Then, she tried to look cheerfull as she left for the counter, as she continued to fight her desire to run for her life..

It was dark outside. Sonny snapped out of sleep as if he had heard a gunshot. There was someone here. All of his instincts kicked in. His body, hardened by years of training, and being on constant alert, woke all the others from their sleep.

'We got company' he said.

Andour had shown him the way, to hide under the cellar.

The pirates quickly made their way down there, and concealed their tracks.

They could hear Andour's voice get closer.

'What are you looking for? We are just poor farmers. We don't have weaponry' he said.

'We shall see' said a voice.

A hatch was opened.

Sonny and his team backed even further away.

'We're trapped' said Rose.

Sonny looked for a way out, before it was too late. The steps on top came closer. They couldn't be outed now. Not now.

Sonny felt how the sweat rolled down his back as he tried to come up with an escape.

But, all of a sudden, the steps stoped.

'We're wasting our time. There is nothing here' said a voice.

'Ok, you get off easy, this time. But, we'll come back' said a voice.

Sounds of viechles starting, and a short while later, Andour put his head down to them.

'Are you all ok?' he asked.

Sonny nodded, and they made their way out.

'We have to leave, towards the mountains. The guard was right, they'll be back in the morning, to burn the farm down' he said.

'What about the people's livelyhood?' asked Sonny.

'Things have progressed badly since you left I'Son. There is no such thing as mercy here anymore. We've been lucky so far. But, it's time to move on' he said.

The pirates helped them get ready, six extra pairs of arms made things happen quicker. Soon, they were ready to leave.

Andour led them through difficult terrain, wich took most of the night, The men helped so that the women could rest. Rose could see how Mariah kept trying to hide the tears. She understood the pain. They had worked so hard to get to where they were, and now, they were about to loose it all. As daylight broke, they looked in the direction of the house. They skies glowed red, and a thin line of thick smoke could be seen. Andour pulled Mariah close. They both knew what it meant. Andour looked at Sonny.

'The final bond that tied me to this planet, is now gone. We got nothing left. When you leave, we are coming with, to start a new life elsewhere' he said.

Sonny nodded. He owed them that much.

A few hours later, they reached an intricate net of tunells. Andour drove into it. He knew where they were going.

They saw a system of caves. It looked like small houses. Mariah was greeted and helped unpacking her things.

'Rose, I'Son, come with me' said Andour.

He led them to a cave that seemed concealed in the system.

'Alina!' he called.

Out came a gingerhaired woman. Not young, not old. But as Rose looked to Sonny, she knew that he had seen her before.

'Her name was given to her after she recieved her calling' explained Andour.

Alina hugged Sonny.

'Thank you for my life, I'Son' she said.

Sonny nodded. It seemed he had realised something.

'Alina, I brought someone that needs your help, to learn to master her gifts' he said.

He then stepped aside, so that she could see Rose.

Alina's eyes filled with tears.

'Thank you I'Son' she said.

Like out of the skies, Rose realised who the woman named Alina was.

'Mom?...

_Things are progressing. Next chapter will be very exciting. What do you guys think of this?_


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Glimpse from the past

Tia was not feeling well. The baby was very active in her stomach. Or perhaps that was because she could see Rocket was blaming himself for what had happened to D'Jok on the pitch.

'Rocket, no one else blames you. D'Jok knew the dangers. He knew what he was getting himself into' she said.

'That may well be, but it doesn't change the outcome' said Rocket sadly.

'Sure, the snowkids won, but all of the team is now in hospital, and for D'Jok, it's more a critical state' he said.

Tia understood him, but she also knew Rocket could not be blamed for this.

'Rocket, if you had known what would happen, would you have let the team play this match at all?' she asked in a soft voice.

'No, off course not' said Rocket.

'Then you are not to be blamed Rocket' said Tia.

Rocket looked at her. No wonder he loved her so much. Tia was his beacon. His light and reason to live.

'You're right Tia, I do take things a bit too personal, right?' he asked as he stood up and kissed her.

'Oh Rocket.. you've always been lke this' laughed Tia.

The couple kissed. But both knew, they needed to know what was going on with D'Jok and soon. The planned reunion for the first snowkids was on it's way, and it wouldn't be the same if one of them was missing.

'It will be fun to see everyone again, and watch all the pictures' said Rocket.

'True, and remember our first cup? When we found out afout the metaflux, Clamp's secret identity, and that he knew Sonny Blackbones?' asked Tia.

'Sonny is awsome. He's done so much for us, and never asked for anything in return' said Rocket.

'I think our wins was all he wanted' said Tia.

She still to this day avoided telling Rocket how Sonny had put forth one condition only to allow her to go with them to save her parents. But, that condition had been justified. They had taken a huge risk, and could easily not have made it.

But, under Sonny's command, they had. And D'Jok had become like Sonny, little by little, but he was now a fullblown pirate. Mei was still his girlfriend, but it was getting difficult to have a normal relationship nowdays.

'I'll meet with Mei tomorrow, maybe she has some news?' said Tia.

Rocket nodded, as he slowly set the table for dinner. It was hard to eat anything nowdays, as they worried.

'Just hope, this is over soon' sighed Rocket heavily..

Micro- Ice had followed the tunnel that was the closest to Sinedd's bar. To his surprise, he found a metal door. A quick scan revealed that it was under surveilance. Micro- Ice found this odd. Why would anyone need surveilance in what appeared to be a suersystem? He made sure to document his findings, and his route. If they were to track the place down, when the pirates returned, they needed to know were to go. Micro- Ice recalled the conversation he had with Sonny as they found the meds Duke Maddox had told him about. It had mainly been about D'Jok.

'So, do you think D'Jok will be his old self again? If he comes too?' asked Micro- ice carefully.

Sonny looked at him, as they walked forth.

' I avoid thinking that either Corso or D'Jok may not pull through. Both of them have lots to do, and play a vital part in the organization. They'll survive Micro- Ice!' he said.

'You sound more confident than me!' he said.

'Micro- Ice, D'Jok is your best friend, like he's been for ages. The same thing is the case with Corso. Try to imagine your life without either of them' Sonny said.

He didn't have to explain any further. Micro- ice got him perfectly. Life just wouldn't be the same without D'Jok. They had shared so much, laughs, worries. For years, both of them had been without a father. They had often talked of what they wanted their father to be like.

'You know, when we were kids, D'Jok and I often talked about how our fathers would be like. Back then, none of us had a father, we just fantazised about how it would be like to have one' he said.

Sonny had looked at him.

' And now that one of you found his, you're feeling disappointed at how things are like, right?' he said.

Micro- ice shook his head.

'No, you're the kind of dad D'Jok fantazised about. Well, apart from the fact that he thought you were dead' he said.

Sonny stoped.

'You know Micro- ice, as D'Jok's father, it still hurts that I was kept from my son for as long as I was. Keep telling me about D'Jok's younger years. They're part of a time where I was unaware that he was alive. Had I known, I would have made an effort to be in his life more' said Sonny.

'You can't help the fact that you are who you are' said Micro- ice.

Sonny nodded.

'Imagine a man just made a widdower, trying to raise a baby. That would not have turned out good' he laughed.

'but, if that had been the case, what would you have done?' asked Micro- ice.

'probobly done what Bleylock would have wanted me to, crawl back to Technoid' said Sonny.

'They would have killed you' said Micro- ice serious.

'Wich is hopefully why I made the call to go elsehwere' said Sonny.

'And became the coolest pirate ever' laughed Micro- ice.

'Don't go too far there Micro- ice' laughed Sonny.

Micro- ice looked at him.

'Sonny, can I ask you something?' he asked.

'off course' said Sonny.

'Remember, when I went with you to shiloh? That I wanted to become a pirate?' micro- ice asked.

'The pirates still remember that' laughed Sonny.

' if things had been different, do you think I could have made a good pirate?' he asked.

Sonny placed a hand to Micro- ice's shoulder.

'Yes, Micro- Ice, you would have made a good pirate' said Sonny.

Both had continued in silence, as they had gone in and executed their mission.

Now, he was working solo. And he sensed this was dangerous. He found a clue to who resided behind the door.

'You're just gonna love this Sonny' he mumbled, as he made his way back to Mei and Sinedd..

Ahito had checked the patients, and was online with Clamp.

'They're both stabilized. But D'Jok needs to be bandaged. The burns are forming a crust now, he'll itch like crazy when he comes too' said Ahito worried.

Clamp rubbed his chin.

'I may have a recipie to help out, on both cases' he said.

'Then, tell me' said Ahito.

'For D'Jok, a cold cream should do the trick' said Clamp.

'I'll send the recipie Sonny and I used to use in our yonger days. We would sometimes get small burns in our line of work too, but we would always overdo the effects of what we used. Sonny even got frostbites from this, when he had a small accident with some acids' laughed Clamp.

'Thran can modify it, just send things to him' said Ahito.

'On my way' said Clamp, and ended the transmission.

A few hours later, D'Jok was showing signs of coming to. Ahito had put on the homemade cold cream with Artie's help.

'It seems to work. At least that's one out of two' said Ahito.

Artie looked over at the second bed. Corso looked like a little baby where he lay, with all kinds of instruments and lifesupport to remain alive.

'Good thing that D'Jok is coming to, but he will still be out of action for some time. No way if Sonny's gonna let him do anything with these crusts on the burns. He'll be evaluated thoroughly, before he's even let loose again' said Artie.

Ahito nodded.

'i agree with that. But Corso worries me' he said.

Artie nodded.

'The damange there is to braintissue. Sonny blames himself for that. The chair was intended for him. I know what Corso would say, but it won't convince Sonny. Corso did what he was supposed to do, protect Sonny' said Artie.

Ahito looked at the message on the screen, that Clamp had sent him.

'I don't know... nanotechnology, combined with flux? It sounds risky to me' he said.

Bennett came in.

'Artie, your turn on the bridge' he said.

Artie left and Bennett took his place.

'We should wait for Sonny' said Ahito.

Bennett nodded.

'But D'Jok..'

that was as far as they came, before they heard a scream of pain, from D'Jok...

Sonny was starring out on the mountains. Gorn could have been a beautiful planet, greener than Akillian, but the Bleylocks made sure that never came to be. It was sad. Right now, things were looking bad, as bad as they had ever been. The pirates were used to it. They had been in situations like this before. But one thing stood out. Sonny knew, in the majority of those cases, he had been the one injured. Corso would fill his position whenever needed. But never had they been faced with the grim possibillity that one of them would die. Well, that was if one choose to take away the incident on paradisia. He had not expected to get poisoned. Well, it had been added to the list of dangers to be aware of, and the pirates checklist on what to check injured men for. But now, D'Jok and Corso was fighting for their lives, and with all the power he posessed, there was still little to nothing he could do.

'Sonny!'

he turned as he heard Rose's voice call out his name.

'Rose'.

'We just got a message from The Black Manta. D'Jok's woke up. But, he was in great pain' said Rose.

Sonny felt like a stone formed in his abdomen.

' giving him something for it, I guess is out of the question?' he said.

Rose nodded.

'And Corso?' Sonny looked at her.

'No change I'm afraid. But we will help him. The army we need to go against Hami, is ready. We just need to attack the bleylocks to get to the ships' she said.

Sonny nodded. He played an important role in what would take place. He was the only one that knew the inside of the mansion. They needed him as their guide.

Alina joined them.

'Sonny, are you ready for this?' she asked.

He nodded.

'When do we leave?' he asked.

'We're ready now' she said.

Sonny nodded.

'Then, let's go!' ...

D'Jok felt a burning pain throughout his body. Well, now he knew how a fried firsh felt like. Bennett and Ahito looked at him. Ahito had a hard time not to laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation.

'You really look like a mummy D'Jok' he said.

'If I wasn't in this much pain, I'd make you pay for that one Ahito!' said D'Jok.

'Well, laughter does ease the pain' he said.

D'Jok looked around. Because of all the bandages, it was hard to sit up in the bed.

'Where is Rose? And Dad?' he asked.

'They're both on Gorn D'Jok. We need reinforcements if we are to take out Hami. Even Duke Maddox is playing on our team now' said Bennett.

'And Corso? Where is he?' said a drousy D'Jok.

Ahito and Bennett looked at eachother. Should they tell D'Jok what had happened?

'D'Jok, Corso is right beside you. But please, don't touch him. He's seriously injured. We don't know if he'll wake up again' said Bennett.

'WHAT? How can that be?' D'Jok whimpered as he once again tried to sit up.

'He got injured, bu accident. But what he did, saved Sonny. What happened to Corso, was planned to happen to Sonny' said Ahito.

Bennett nodded.

'But, if we loose Corso, who is Dad going to rely on if anything happens to him?' wondered D'Jok.

Then, it was like he snapped out of a coma.

'I need to talk to Dad'...

Sneaking into the Bleylock mansion was childsplay. Sonny was surprised at the low security. There was hardly any guarding at all. The Bleylocks had to think they had full control out here. That no one would ever question what went on, or even believe in the words coming from a nation of slaves. They had no problems entering either. Sonny led the team in charge of getting to the room that controled the only path in and out, except through the mudring, that one didn't need oxygentanks to pass. The place gave him no good vibes. It hadn't in the past either. As soon as they found the computerroom, Sonny asked his best hackers to crack the system.

'It's vital we get as many of the ships operational as possible' he said.

While his hackers worked, Sonny took watch as a lookout. He slowly moved through the hallways. There, in front of him, he saw a gigantic picture of General Bleylock. It made cold chills run up and down his spine. The next photo was Bleylock and a young woman. She didn't look very happy, and neither did Bleylock. It seemed that he had been right all along. Bleylock had never been free to make his own choise. Sonny had a feeling he was jealous of him, because he had that option. Looking at the dates, Sonny came to realise a few things. Bleylock's marrige had been prearranged. It wasn't a marrige made of love. It was for one purpose only. Make offsprings, to secure the family. No wonder Bleylock was who he was. But it still didn't explain how he fitted the picture. Or did it? Had Bleylock seen Sonny as a ticket out of things? A way to escape the harsh realities? He would never know, he could only speculate. His marrige had been happy while it lasted. Had Bleylock given in to a controlling father's wish when he knew all of his chances with him was blown? Sonny looked at the picture of Bleylock with his son in various ages. Hami was clearly neglected, unloved by his cold at heart father. After the birth, it seemed his wife was gone. Sonny mentally reminded himself to ask Duke Maddox of this at a later time.

'You were never truly happy Bleylock. You couldn't be. I knew you, perhaps better than you knew yourself. Any moment of true happiness was a rarity for you. I had to work hard to make you smile. But you had no love in your heart. You were driven by a sexual desire, by lust. No love can come from that' Sonny said.

'If he hadn't met you, he would still have been alive!'

Sonny jumped, and then turned.

A tall, dark man stood before him. Even though aged, Sonny knew he had looked into this mans eyes before. They were every bit as cold now as they were then.

' Horwath Bleylock!' Sonny unwillingly took a step back.

This man was dangerous. He had to get himself and his men out of here.

'Not so fast, Sonny Blackbones. I hold you responsible for the murder of my son. Don't think for a minute that you'll escape the vengance of the Bleylock family' he snarled.

'That vengance was carried out years ago. Bleylock killed my wife' said Sonny.

'But your son lived. And now you're out to kill his son' stated the old man.

'After what he did to his uncle, the young lady whom I happen to have the responsibillity for, my best friend..I would say there is difficult to find a way to avoid that' he retalliated.

Seconds later, he regreted the words.

A net of laserbeams spread.

'One wrong move Sonny, and the beams will chop you into little pieces' he snarled.

Sonny tried to back as he saw the net shrink and become too small to jump through.

'You will pay Sonny Blackbones, for the life of my son' snarled Bleylocks father as he came towards him.

There was no escape. Sonny knew he had made a big mistake. He was alone, with no one to help him. There was only one thing to do. Sonny signaled for him to stop.

Slowly, Sonny raised his hands.

'I surrender' he said...

_trouble all over the place. Will sonny find a way out of this? And what will D'Jok look like now, with those severe burns? And what about Corso? Will he and Sonny ever speak to eachother again? And will Sonny be able to stop Hami at all, or is his days numbered? All of this and more, if you keep reading. _


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Help arrives

Sonny was backing away from the laserbeam grid. As a gesture, he slowly raised his hands to his head. But it didn't seem to effect Bleylock senior much.

'You returned to the one place you're not wanted Sonny Blackbones, or should I adress you as I'Son?' the old man snarled.

The man might be old, but he sure wasn't acting slow. Sonny had a hard time keeping track of his movement. It seemed the old man was everywhere, driving him towards the center of the room. Sonny looked up. Off course, there was a trap there, not something as easy as a net, what hung from the ceeling, looked like an improved version of Bleylock's bubble. Sonny recalled all too well how that had been like. The bubble gave absolutely no shelter, wich had made him go to sleep to conserve his strenght in the hopes he could break free later. But the freezing cold water had made him use more of his strenght than he had intended to, to try to keep warm.

'No one can say I wasn't trying to be polite' said Sonny.

A sound indicated the bubble had been released. Sonny threw himself to the side. The gelbase that made the bubble collapsed as it hit the floor.

'Gah, I'll make you pay for what you did to my son!' roared the old man, as he charged at Sonny.

Sonny barely had the time to block the attack.

'Calm down, and we'll talk about things' he suggested.

'We're done talking pirate, all that remains in justice. You took my son's life, you will pay with your own' he snarled.

Sonny tried to twist himself out of the attack, but failed. Bleylock senior, grabbed hold of his arms and pushed him against the wall.

'Got you!' he hissed.

'Let him go!'

No one could tell where Rose had come from, but her timing was impeckable.

'Go!' Sonny yelled.

The pressure Bleylock senior held on his arms, made him fear they would break.

All of a sudden, a redish glow filled the room. It reminded Sonny of Corso's blastwave. But Corso wasn't here.

The beam was aimed to just avoid hitting him. Bleylock senior was thrown backwards.

Sonny rose from his kneestand.

'Rose? What was that?' he asked.

His tone of voice sounded shocked.

'The magma of Gorn' she said.

'YOU! You're the one that escaped!' yelled Bleylock senior.

'Sonny, will you make him silent?' asked Rose.

Sonny just nodded. The blast seemed to have paralyzed the man for now. It wasn't clear wheter it was permanent, but for now, that could not be their priority. Sonny worked silently, but effective. Seconds later, a gag was placed in Bleylock senior's mouth.

'Are all the others out?' Sonny asked.

'They sent me too look for you. I thought you were supposed to stand watch?' Rose teased.

'Just checked the parameters' Sonny shrugged.

' Goofball!' Rose teased.

Sonny had to smile.

'But thanks for coming to the rescue. I should have been more alert' he said.

' We all make mistakes sometimes Sonny. I'm just glad I made it here in time. But what do we do about him?' she said and nodded at Bleylock senior.

'We follow standard protocol for the pirates. We erase his memory, and release him' said Sonny.

Rose nodded, she had figured that much.

' I'm sorry we had to do this Sonny!' she said.

Sonny nodded.

'The galaxy could have been a better place to live alltogether if misunderstandings such as what Bleylock Senior harbours could have been avoided' he said.

'Well, still, the most important thing Sonny, is we're still alive. We can still stop the evil at play' said Rose.

'We will, the alternative, is not an option' said Sonny.

The two pirates worked fast, and Sonny set his memory eraser two levels up. It was crucial that Bleylock senior remembered nothing of this encounter when he woke up. Sonny carefully took the gag of, and released the ropes.

Bleylock Senior jumped forth, and tried to pull Sonny with him in the jump. But Rose was prepared.

She used her flux, as Sonny raised the memory eraser.

'Sorry Bleylock senior. But the past can not be undone, and neither can the actual happenings' he said, as he flashed the eraser.

When Bleylock senior came to, he could not make out what had happened in that room. He had no memories of his encounter with Sonny or Rose...

The passage was open. Sonny and the team had made their way back to their own ship. Sonny could tell that Rose had learned what she needed to, in order to help D'Jok and corso.

'Captain Blackbones!' it was one of the soliders from gorn who called on him.

'What is it?' Sonny looked at the young man.

'We're approaching the outer layer. It seems to not open like it should' said the young man.

'it will!' said Sonny, and pressed a button on the controlpanel.

As they approached the outer ring, Sonny felt how the desity increased. Then, just as it had built up to become close to unbearable, it gave way. The men cheered.

Sonny hid a sigh of relief. Not even he had been quite sure as to wheter the theory would hold. And as the leader, he could not have the luxury to show any signs of weakness. Soon, they could leave stealth mode and see the black manta.

'Identify, or prepare to be fired upon!' sounded the voice of bennett in the speakers.

A smile played on Sonny's face. The boys took their job seriously in his absence.

'Black Manta, This is Sonny calling, we're coming home' he said.

'Ah, I see you found what you were looking for then?' laughed Bennett.

The hatch opened, and the smaller ships was made ready in the hold.

'Looks like you brought an entire army Sonny' said Artie, as he came to greet him.

'Just a little portion of it, but hopefully enough to track down Hami and put an end to his plans' said Sonny.

Then he grew serious.

'D'Jok?' he asked.

'We've used a cold spray that Clamp told us about. It seems to help. But he's itching like crazy because of the crusts. Ahito had to give him something to keep him from scratching, it was either that, or strapping him to the bed' said Artie.

Sonny nodded.

'Arrange for the men of Gorn to sleep and get some rest. I'll go see to D'Jok' Sonny said.

Artie nodded. It didn't take a rocketscientist to realise that the situation with D'Jok and Corso worried him.

'Sonny?' Artie started.

'Yes Artie?' Sonny turned halfway.

Artie placed a hand to his shoulder. A rarity for him. He had the deepest respect for Sonny, and usually it was Corso that interacted with him like that, and if not Corso, then Bennett. He could feel the tensed muscles in Sonny's shoulder.

'It's hard on all of us. D'Jok will make it. Corso..that's a different story' said Artie.

He could feel the supressed sigh from Sonny.

'We can't give up yet. I brought someone from Gorn with us. She'll work with Rose. If they can't bring him to, then..we'll have to concider turning of the lifesupport' he sighed.

Artie nodded. He could imagine what it cost Sonny to say the words.

Sonny walked towards the infirmary..

D'Jok was itching. He knew Sonny and the team had returned. The guests had made him stay in the infirmary. It felt very strange. D'Jok usually had good looks, and attrackted girls. He had found Mei early in his career, and that helped. He hadn't been alone when they won the first final of the GFC. D'Jok recalled how that final had played out. Bleylock had abducted Sonny, and threatened to kill him, if D'Jok didn't comply with his wishes. D'Jok had been contacted by Corso, to find out what he knew about Sonny's whereabouts. But he knew nothing, only that Sonny Blackbones, his recently found father, was held captive by Bleylock, wich wouldn't hessitate to kill him. It had been horrible. But D'Jok still managed to tie the score. Wich gave the snow kids the golden goal situation. But then, Aarch had told him that Sonny had been freed, and was safe and sound. D'Jok remembered the first meeting that followed. Sonny hadn't blamed him for anything. He just claimed he had done as he was told. A light knock on the door, made D'Jok hide in the dark shaddow.

'D'Jok?' the voice of his fathers was soft.

'Dad!' D'Jok wanted to run over and hug him, but Sonny stoped him.

'Careful with the wounds D'Jok' he warned.

'Dad, I'm sorry..I..I didn't mean for this to happen..I let you down' D'Jok stoddered.

'No, you didn't. You played a great match, you showed leadership' said Sonny, trying to focus on the postivie things of the day.

'But, I put everyone in danger' said D'Jok.

'That would have happened anyway. The guns on top of the stadium, it was preset D'Jok. Hami had planned to attack during the match. He would have done it, without you there too' said Sonny.

'I feel so stupid for walking into his trap like that' said D'Jok.

Sonny's eyes darkened.

'You weren't the only one D'Jok' said Sonny.

Both walked over to Corso's bed.

'Will he make it Dad?' D'Jok asked.

'I don't know D'Jok. We'll do everything in our power to help him pull through but.. in the end, we have no control of it, it's entirely in his hands now' said Sonny.

D'Jok nodded. He watched his father sit down, beside Corso, and take his hand.

'Don't you give up now Corso. We're not done for yet. You've been pushing me to pull through everytime, now the roles are changed' Sonny's voice was a meere whisper.

A light knock on the door was heard. Sonny looked up. Rose and Alina stood in the door. D'Jok felt like running into hiding, as he didn't want anyone to see him like this.

Rose walked towards him.

'D'Jok, this is my mother, Alina. She and Sonny have known eachother for sometime. She's here to help' said Rose with a calming smile.

'Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Help Corso!' said D'Jok.

The two women turned their attention to the injured pirate. It was plain to see the severity of the injury, and the impact it had on the pirates onboard.

Alina sat down, and took his left hand, and Rose sat on the oposite side.

Alina closed her eyes. Rose did the same, a greenish energy surrounded them. A short while later, they stoped.

'Well?' Sonny wanted to know.

'he's in a deep coma Sonny, I don't know for sure if he'll wake up again. All we can do, is be here, and tend to him. Right now, it's all up to him' she said sadly.

Sonny looked at Corso. It was hard to hold back the tears. Was this how they would end a friendship that extended at least three decades?He looked at Corso.

'Come back to us Corso. I'm begging you!' he said.

_The next chapter is corso centered. I am looking forwards to put it in writing. Hopefully, you liked this one too._


	29. Chapter 29

_This is a chapter on Corso. For him to make his way back, he has to go on a journey in himself and his achievements in life, at the same time, as he will be able to see the grief of his close friends, and how the hope slowly but surely whiters away that he'll survive. Will he survive? Read this chapter and you will find the answer._

Chapter 29: In between

Where was he? Corso woke up, but not in the chair in Hami's lair. He was aboard the Black Manta. In a bed in the infirma'try. His body felt strangely light, like he was floating upwards. Beside the bed, sat Sonny. Corso could tell from his posture that seeing him like this, pained his friend.

'Oh, Sonny...' Corso tried to reach out and touch his shoulder, like he always did when something troubled their leader. But, it was like he couldn't. His hand passed right through Sonny's shoulder. And Sonny didn't seem to notice. Corso realised all of a sudden, that he felt no pain. And why was he able to rise from the bed and see his own body still lying there, and Sonny looking like he relived his worst nightmare? Then, it struck him. He had read about these things. It was the passage of life and death. NO! He wasn't ready to go yet. He had things he wanted to see, stuff he needed to do. Corso was frustrated. How could he call for help? When Sonny couldn't reach him? Then, as through a plastic wall or something, he heard Sonny's voice.

'I know you can hear me Corso, deep whereever you are. Fight it! Make your way back to us. This...it's beyond me. I may have an expensive education behind me, I can produce the most powerful weapon in the galaxy from nothing, but what good is that, if I loose you? D'Jok will be allright. But, I need you here. My brother in arms. If you make it though this Corso, we will both think of stepping down, and let others take over the seats of power. We've put in more than half our lives in this. We need to do something else. Relax more' Sonny's voice was low, but melodic.

'It won't be that easy Sonny. You're still wanted. Technoid would rather see you dead than let you get away' he said.

Off course Sonny couldn't hear him.

'He can't hear you' said a voice behind him.

Corso turned. His mouth dropped open in shock.

' Merrin?' he gasped.

A beautiful woman walked towards him.

' in person. I've been on the other side for a long time now, Sonny's become a great leader for the pirates. But he'll need someone that understands him. If not, he won't make it' she said.

'I'm not ready to leave this world yet!' said Corso.

He had loved this woman once. Dearly. What had happened to her, was a mystery.

'What happened? Why are you here?' he asked.

Merrin just looked at him with a sad smile.

'Isn't it obvious? My job is to make you decide where to go. You got two choises. I'll walk you through your past and possible future. You might risk seeing Sonny get killed, are you sure you're up for that?' she asked.

Corso gave it some thought.

'I'll have to' he said.

Merrin nodded. She had expected that much. She also knew how deep the bonds between him and Sonny ran.

'Come with me Corso, it's time you start to make your way back, if that's what you want' she said.

Corso looked at her. He had never imagined being in this kind of situation. It didn't occur to him that it was normal. But again, so was the case with the pirates too. Their lives weren't normal, being on a constant run from technoid wasn't normal.

All of a sudden, Corso saw three doors in front of him. He looked at Merrin.

'What is this kind of sick joke?' he asked.

Merrin was unaffected by his grumpy mood. But then again, she always knew how to bring out the best in him.

'These doors hold three different outcomes of a situation in your life that you could have changed. You need to find a way to make the trail you walk, come out a good one' she said.

'How will I do that?' Corso wondered.

'By making every call with the heart' said Merrin, before she vanished into thin air.

Corso watched the doors. He had to choose one. And make the right call.

He opened the door in the middle.

'Oh crap..' he said when he watched the situation...

'What's going on?' Sonny was tense as he checked the monitor on lifesupport for Corso. They were going crazy.

'I don't know. It never did this before' said a baffled Ahito.

Sonny seemed worried. As was D'Jok.

'No Corso, you got to make it, we can't loose you, not now!' he begged.

Sonny fell to his knees beside his bed. He took Corso's hand and held it tight.

'Stay with me Corso, don't you give up. If you can, draw from my strenght, but don't you leave me here'...

In the distance, Corso could hear Sonny's plead. It was like if he felt his friends hand hold his, as if to transfeer his own physical strenght to him. It made Corso feel extremely lucky. He had made the right call then. But in front of him, there was a situation that hadn't ended well. Corso recognized it. His wife, stood in front of their house. He hadn't come home yet .There was Technoid soliders standing there, talking to his wife. In the past, Corso knew what sight would have awaited him upon his return. This time, he had a chance to change it. Corso walked forth. He still had the injured eye, but that made it less obvious to his wife who he really was.

'May I help you?' he asked and stepped forth.

'Who are you?' one of the soliders asked.

Corso knew his current name was one given to him by his fellow pirates. The name Corso resembled honor, and courage. It symbolized the loyal solider he had been. His wife knew him under a different name. In the window of the kitchen, he could see his two sons. Last time he had seen them, they had been laid butchered on the ground. If there was any chance he could prevent this from happening, he would do it.

'The name is Corso. May I ask what is the buisness of yours around this lady and her children?' he asked mildly.

'None of your buisness, freak!' one of them said.

Corso felt his blood start to boil. There they went again. The minute you sustained an injury to your eye that left you depending on mechanics, you were concidered damaged goods. A freak.

' The name is not Freak, and I asked a polite question!' said Corso and walked closer.

For some reason, they seemed to fear him.

'The boys, they have to come with us!' said the one that seemed to be the group leader.

'Why?' Corso threw a glance over at the window.

He knew his sons age perfectly. They were too young to become soliders in this war.

'Technoid needs soliders!' stated the group leader.

'What technoid needs are grown men, not kids. You have any idea of the dangers you impose on the kids?' Corso asked and walked closer.

The group leader seemed to back away.

'This eye' Corso pointed to his mechanical eye.

'It's the result of the war. I was a child solider. You just called me a freak, think of how those words will effect these kids' said Corso.

It seemed he was reaching the leader. It came to a stare down between them. Corso came out the victorer.

'You're a clever man Corso!' the leader acknowledged.

'I hate to see young lives go to waste. They're of more use to society, if they become adults that contribute, rather than a cross in the graveyard' said Corso.

The leader nodded. Then, he turned to his men.

'We're leaving, these boys are too young anyway' he said.

Corso watched them as they left.

'How may I thank you, Corso? You saved us, you saved my boys' exclaimed the young lady.

Corso remembered her beauty. She would live on, rather than dying in a pool of her own blood. As would his sons.

' Nothing to thank for Ma'am. It was the right thing to do' he said.

Laura, his wife, looked closely at him.

'You remind me of someone' she said thoughtfully.

'Please, come dine with us' she said.

Corso nodded. It would give him a chance to talk to Ajon, and tommy...

'His pulse is going of the charts, we need to calm him' said Ahito, who monitored Corso closely.

But Sonny shook his head.

'Ahito, wait! I've read of this kind of reaction. Alina, you did say he needed to do the job of returning himself right?' he asked.

'Yes' Alina confirmed.

Sonny rubbed his chin.

'Then, what is going on, is him making his way back, little by little, we have to wait it out' he said.

'Sonny you remember what you told me about, if someone is severely injured, like Corso, that the sound of a voice of someone close to him or her, can help guide them back to us?' Rose asked.

Sonny nodded.

'And your plan is?' he asked.

'The one Corso trusts the most, that he cares the most for in this galaxy, is you Sonny. The sound of your voice, it might be the shining beacon that he needs to find his way. You should stay here, and talk to him' suggested Rose.

'It is a good idea, everything that can help, is a good thing' said Ahito.

Thran had been monitoring Corso's brainactivity on a screen.

'If you're right, little brother, the sound of Sonny's voice, should be reflected on the scans of his brain, if he responds to it' he said.

'Let's Check it then' said Bennett.

A quick look at the screen, confirmed Ahito's theory.

'Look at that Sonny. Everytime you adress him directly, there is a distinct peak in the charts' said a baffled Bennett.

'That settles it! I'll stay here with Corso. Bennett, you're in command, untill further notice!' Sonny said.

'Right, do your best Sonny' said Bennett and glanced over at Corso.

'I intend to' said Sonny.

If there was any hope, he was willing to grasp on to it...

Corso had finished the meal, and had a nice conversation with his sons, before he left. As soon as he reached the woods, he saw Merrin.

'Good work Corso. I must say you passed challlenge one in flying colours' she said.

'Something tells me, there are more of them up and coming' said Corso.

'Life on this side isn't all as boring as you'd like to think Corso. We do have our moments' said Merrin.

'I have no doubt' said Corso.

'What was it like to see your family again? Would you have concidered staying here with them?' she asked.

'In another life, yes. But, the pirates need me. I have to make my way back to them' he said.

Merrin nodded.

'The pirates.. they are your family, the ones you rely on. Have you ever wondered wheter you made the right call when the new leader was choosen? Did you ever conciderd the fact that maybe you should have let Technoid capture Sonny rather than making him one of you?' she asked.

'No! I never doubted my choise!' Corso said.

Was the next challenge connected to what happened back then? He was starting to get an idea of that.

'You better stick to that Corso, as you have a chance to see how it could have turned out, if Sonny wasn't your leader' she said.

Corso clenched fists. They sure didn't make it easy for you down here, they challenged everything that meant something to you. At first, it was the family he had lost. Corso all of a sudden started to think of what would be next. Or rather who? And could any decission he made here, effect Sonny? Corso started to worry. Merrin cought on to it.

'Something is bothering you?' she asked.

'These challenges.. do they have effect on the here and now out there?' Corso asked.

'No, they are just doorways to help you come to terms with losses you've suffered. And to make you appreciate what you have even more' Merrin said.

Corso hardened himself.

' Does this involve Sonny in any way?' he asked.

Merrin nodded.

'Few pirates have come closer or meant more to you than him. You've been there since day one for him, you've trained him and watched him grow with his responsibillity and his role. This next challenge, is one you remember very well. But, how it turns out, is up to you. good luck!' she said and vanished.

Corso turned. Three new doors. He walked to the right. But before he opened it, he hessitated. If the situation involved Sonny, how would he react? There was only one way to find out. He opened the door. The scene was familiar. Sonny's first mission for the pirates. Corso made his way forth in through the door...

'What the heck is going on?' said Artie. He had come to help Sonny change Corso's clothes. Sonny held Corso gently while he pulled of his top. Corso was seemingly calm for the moment. Sonny calmly felt his forehead, he felt normal. Artie pulled a shirt over his head. That's when Corso reacted.

'Sonny...' he moaned..

'I'm here Corso' Sonny tightened his grip slightly.

But Corso was lost to this world. In his inner mind, he apporached his best friend, before his mission.

'Sonny, can I talk to you, in private?' he asked.

Sonny had been making a backpack ready. He put it down, and took his arm, and led him to a hold where they were alone.

'What is it Corso?' he asked.

It was definately the same Sonny he had always known, but a slightly younger version of him.

'I don't know how to explain this. But if we sneak in, do you know any short cuts to Bleylock's office? Something tells me that he will be there watching' said Corso.

Sonny nodded.

'Corso, there are several routes to his office. But, if makes you feel better, we'll set up a few extra escape routes too' Sonny said.

Corso nodded. As a hunch, he laid a hand to Sonny's shoulder.

'We'll make it' he promised.

'He's running a fever, and he's hallusinating!' said a worried Artie.

But Sonny listened to what Corso seemingly rambled about. It wasn't coincidental. What the words refeered to, had actually happend, in his days as a rookie pirate.

'He makes more sense than you'd think Artie' Sonny said, as he placed a cold cloth on Corso's forehead.

'it all sounds like gibberish to me Sonny, no offence' said artie.

Sonny nodded.

'These things happened Artie, don't you recall?' he asked.

Artie sat down, and listened. Then, he looked to Sonny, baffled.

'You're right' he said.

'We'll stay here, he'll get through' said Sonny...

He had done it. He had cleared challenge two. Merrin appeared in front of him.

'You're getting the hang of this' she said.

'It's all about following the heart, right?' Corso said.

Merrin looked at him.

'Yes, but also, it connects with courage' she said.

'Right' Corso wanted to move on, but all of a sudden felt a strong urge to stay where he was.

Merrin looked over at him.

'You're sensing it' she said.

'Senising what?' Corso was confused.

'That someone is adressing you, in deep despair' Merrin said like this was a common thing for her.

Corso looked around, as if he could see who it was.

'Here, let me help you' grinned Merrin, and made part of the wall grow blank.

Corso looked at the scene, while a thick lump formed in his throat. Sonny, the coragous leader, fearless, who wouldn't hessitate to sacrifice his own life to save others, he had never ever seen him like this. It looked like he hadn't slept. Next to him, sat a tray of food, but it had not been touched.

'Oh Sonny, No. Don't do this to yourself. The pirates need you to be strong' whispered Corso.

He could tell that Sonny was everything but strong at the moment.

'For the time being, Sonny has pulled away from everyone Corso. He told Bennett to stay in command. Sonny is totally focused on one thing, YOU!' said Merrin.

'I need to get back so I can make him snap out of this' said Corso.

Merrin looked at him.

'The final challenge, is the most difficult one. In this, you will start to question yourself as well as Sonny's judgements. I wish you all the best of luck' she said.

But before she could vanish, Corso stoped her. He had enough of these games.

' If this final challenge is related to Sonny..'

'It is, but not the way you think' said Merrin.

Then she was gone.

Again, the doors appeared. Corso felt his heart pound extra hard this time. Merrin's words had sounded ominous, he knew he was sure not to like this.

He chose the door that represented the heart. A pirate always went fullhearted into whatever he started. Corso had a feeling this would be the worst of all his challenges. He walked through it. The sight that met him was every pirate's worst nightmare..

Corso wanted to turn around and run back, but the door was closed...

The sweating had increased. Sonny had dozed for a little while. If anything was to happen to Corso, he was going to be the first to know. D'Jok woke up from his nap.

'Dad?'

Sonny looked slightly up.

'Is he taking a turn for the worse?' D'Jok wondered.

'I don't know D'Jok. I may know a lot about science, but the science of the human brain, it's a largely unexplored territory. But right now, I wish I knew more, to see if there was anything I could do to make things easier for him' said Sonny.

D'Jok looked at his father. Sonny always seemed to have a solution to things, no matter what, but this time, he seemed lost.

'Sonny..' Corso's voice was a meer whisper.

'I'm here Corso!' Sonny clenched his hand hard.

' Don't challenge Hami Sonny, he'll murder you!' Corso said.

'He's hallusinating Dad, there is no way he could know anything about that' said D'Jok.

Sonny didn't answer. Corso's words had effected him. What ever was going on where he was, Corso knew something. Something of importance.

'Come back to me Corso, and explain why you're telling me to avoid this confrontation' he whispered..

Corso had been terrified by the challenge. Hami held his laser high, triumphant. It seemed he had won. On the ground, a few feets away, lay Sonny. Corso didn't know wheter he was dead or alive.

'Remove Blackbones carcass from my sight!' he yelled.

Corso moved closer. There was a lot of blood. Too much. Sonny couldn't still be alive if all of it came from him. Slowly, Corso lifted Sonny's body from the ground. He was awfully pale. Corso knew, even before he checked, that Sonny was gone. They lived the pirates worst nightmare. The loss of Sonny Blackbones. Corso felt warm tears fall down on Sonny's lifeless remains as he carried him back to the ship. It was strange how he sort of found his way back anyway, as his sight was blurred. The pirates fell to their knees and cried hollow as they saw Corso carry Sonny through the ship, towards the hold where they would keep their dead. This time, they all seemed to deflate like a balloon, as they all realised, Sonny was gone. When he reached the hold, Corso could see the coffins they always kept in storage. One of them stood out. It had never come to use, not untill now.

'Forgive me Sonny. It should have been me!' he cried, as he laid Sonny down on a bench. They needed to clean up the blood, before they could put him in the coffin. As of now, D'Jok Blackbones was the new leader of the Shiloh pirates.

'Dad!' Corso turned, to see D'Jok enter. He was pale as a ghost, and tears flowed freely.

'D'Jok..I'm sorry..i..I couldn't save him..' Corso stoddered.

D'Jok walked towards them, like he didn't see them at all. He fell to his knees. Corso wasn't sure how to react towards his bestfriends son this time. D'Jok seemed to be in despair. His own injuries wasn't even healed yet.

'If you hadn't gotten injured, none of this would have happened!' D'Jok yelled.

Corso knew the young man had to take his pain and anger out on someone when he realised his beloved father was gone.

0bdo. Without Sonny, I fear for the pirates future' Corso said.

D'Jok propbobly just heard half of it. He was crying sorely.

'I'm not ready to take Dad's place yet!' he sobbed.

'Sonny wasn't ready either when he was choosen as our leader D'Jok. He was thrown into it. What is the difference between him and us, is he accepted the challenge this posed. He stood up to it, and faced it. The result, is the most amazing leader the pirates ever had. Sonny had ideals, he thought us to fight for those ideals, to fight to win back our freedom. He showed us the way D'Jok. We will never forget him. And we will seek revenge for the loss of his life, but now, it's time to grief his loss, and bring him home one last time'.

D'Jok looked to Corso.

'Corso, micro- ice will always be my best friend, and Mei will always be the closest to me. But, in matters that concern the pirates, none of them can guide me, to lead you the way Dad did. You know his ways Corso, better than I do. Will you teach me, to lead the pirates in my father's spirit? I don't want his work to be for nothing'.

Corso nodded, and pulled D'Jok into an embrace. He had never shown any such emotions like this before. Was this where the challenge lay? Corso sank to the floor, he placed his hands before his face.

'I will D'Jok!' he whispered, before the sorrow overpowered him. D'Jok and Corso cried together for hours...

'It's time you make your choise' Merrin looked at him.

'I already did, I belong there, not here' said Corso.

'You are still as stubborn as ever' Merrin grinned.

'So, what do I do to get back?' he asked.

Merrin made a gesture with her hand. It seemed the plastic wall grew thiner and thiner.

'Go, You chose Sonny and your fellow pirates' she smiled.

Corso raised two fingers to his hat, before he again found himself floating directly above his own body.

Seconds later, for the first time in days, Corso opened his eyes.

'Hey there!' Sonny smiled warmly, as he carefully hugged him.

Corso smiled, and let him do it...

Corso looked out the window and into the wast space outside. He had been thoroughly checked and found to function normally. But the inner journey still haunted him.

'A million miles away huh?' asked Sonny, who just joined him in the livingroom.

'Just thinking. Did I ever talk while I was away?' Corso asked Sonny.

Sonny nodded. All of a sudden very serious.

'I don't know what to make of it Corso. It could be just deluissions, and it could be that you tried to tell me something from the other side?' he wondered.

Corso couldn't grab on to it.

' it feels like a dream, and yet, there is things that seems I should tell you' he said.

Sonny nodded.

'We have time before we return to genesis. We have to find a way to reinstate Duke Maddox as the head of Technoid first of all' he said.

'Why?' asked Corso.

'We will smoke Hami out, but siezing control of the situation. I talked to Duke Maddox. We will do things in a way that never before has been seen from our side. Hami will have to strike fast if he's to get through things. And what I plan, will be completely unexpected!' grinned Sonny.

'Then, tell me sonny!' said Corso.

When Sonny would talk like that, he'd get everybody fired up.

'We'll speak of it later Corso, one on one. For now, I want you to go top my cabin and get some rest. I'll see to it that you get some help if you need it' Sonny said.

Corso nodded. And walked side by side with his bestfriend, to the designated cabin.

_Phew, this was a long one, but it couldn't be made shorter. D'Jok survived and Corso survived. But what did that last vision of Corso's mean? Is it a likely scenario to happen? And what is Sonny's plan? All of this in the following chapter._


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Battleplan

D'Jok sat in the hallway of the black manta, playing with a football. He was still sore from the frying Hami had put him through. D'Jok was in deep thoughts. His football career was ended. Mainly the entire original snowkids team had stoped playing football now, he was the one that held on the longest. Then, slowly, little by little, he had taken to underground work. Perhaps it was somehow the influence of his infamous father, Sonny Blackbones, work, he had started in the first place, but the answer seemed too easy. D'Jok sighed heavily. He knew the answers for cryin out loud, he just didn't want to admit to the truth. He was living in his fathers shaddows. Sonny was still the most wanted man in the galaxy, whoever cought him, would become a rich man. As for Sonny himself, they all knew what would happen if he was taken. It was doubtfull he would survive. It had taken sometime, from the pirates found the files, untill they had managed to crack them and decrypt what sentence was in store for each of them. Even Corso had been the subject to a hard punishment if captured. But in comparison to what would be the outcome for Sonny, all the other pirates sentences seemed mild. Sonny was the one that would be punished the hardest, by loosing his life. The details had been horrible reading. D'Jok had felt like vomit when he read the file. Sonny himself, had not seemed surprised at all, or scared for that matter. Come to think of it, Sonny never showed any signs of fear. But D'Jok knew he feared the sentence. Sonny was a master at hiding his own feelings to everyone else, everyone but a few. D'Jok recalled having seen Sonny talk about the file with Corso shortly after, when he thought no one could hear them. So D'Jok knew Sonny was not as unnaffected as he seemed. D'Jok looked at himself. His body was starting to heal, but the scars would never go away. They ran too deep. He realised that the time had come to make a choise about his future. A choise that certainly would end in him having to make sacrifises. D'Jok heard footsteps behind him. As naked as the hallways of the ship was, it was no problems hearing someone from afar.

'Who is it?' he asked.

'I'll give you three guesses' sounded the reply.

Sonny! Off course, most people were busy doing their jobs. Sonny could walk around as he pleased.

'Dad!' D'Jok rose from the floor where he had been seated with his back against the wall.

Sonny looked at him. D'Jok had a wrinkle on his forehead, that suggested he had been in deep thoughts just moments ago.

'Worried about something, son?' Sonny asked.

'Just thinking,about my future Dad' said D'Jok.

Sonny nodded.

'And have you made any decissons about your future D'Jok?' he asked.

Why did he have to ask such difficult questions all the time? D'Jok sighed.

'Both yes, and no'he admitted.

Sonny sat down next to him.

'The sacrifises, they seem overwhelming, don't they?' he asked.

D'Jok nodded.

'Yes, but, I know I have to. I just don't know if I'm ready for it yet' he said.

'D'Jok, there are sometimes, you have to make sacrifises wich you can not prepare for, you're faced with them up front, you have to deal with them then and there. I know, cause I lived it D'Jok. When the ship wich your mother was in exploded, I was faced with the difficult choise. Either give up, and turn myself in, and my partners and my attempt to hide a dangerous and undetectable weapon such as the metaflux was, would have been in vain. Or, I could make an attempt to get out of things and save the galaxy. I chose the latter D'Jok, and with harsh consequenses. I still live with the consequenses of the metaflux slipping from my grasp, falling over the rooftop and glaciating akillian to this day. Then, when I found Clamp again, I learned that our invention had even worse consequenses, the contamination of the young players you were, and the possibillity you weren't the only ones' Sonny shook his head as the memories cought up with him.

He had taken a huge risk, when asking the snowkids to move to a different hotel. If Technoid would have found out, they would have cought him for sure.

'The biggest risk, you took when you came to save me' whispered D'Jok.

Sonny looked at him.

'I knew what lay in store D'Jok, I've known Bleylock for far longer than you seem to think. I knew he wasn't going to let me go. Not with our past' said Sonny.

'Then, what would have happened, if Corso and the pirates hadn't found you in time?' D'Jok asked.

Somehow, he knew the answer, but he needed to hear Sonny say it.

'If Bleylock had succeeded D'Jok, we would not have been sitting here today' said Sonny.

Then, he rose.

'I'll go check on Corso' he said.

D'Jok rose carefully.

'Dad, I've made my choise. It's been hard to make this, but I know what lies in store for me now' he said.

Sonny looked at him.

'Dad, it's time I find my rightfull place, as a fullblooded pirate. It's in my blood, just like it's in yours. Dad, I need you to help me become the next you, the next righteous leader of the pirates' said D'Jok.

Sonny smiled.

'That's a brave choise D'Jok. You're ready to make the last end of your training now. I'll be there for you son, like I promised' he said.

'Just don't pull out completely, I'll still need you Dad' said D'Jok.

Sonny carefully hugged him.

'The promise of a pirate is one that can not be broken D'Jok. I gave you my promise years ago. If you need me, I'll never be far' he said.

'Knowing that, I'll be able to fullfill our dream' whispered D'Jok.

'One day D'Jok, one day' whispered Sonny...

Rose sat on her bed and looked at her bodyarmour. It was one of Clamp and Sonny's creations, one of those things that just came together quickly as soon as the two of them worked together. Sonny knew a normal armour, like the one he and his pirates had in store for the battle, would be too heavy for her to carry. Those armours were designed for grown and muscular men, not for a young female like herself. Her armour was light, but close to impenetrable. No need for bloodshed if it could be avoided. But like D'Jok, Rose sat and had her own heavy thoughts before the upcoming battle. They had almost lost both D'Jok and Corso. D'Jok was like her older brother, Corso, a dear and beloved uncle. The thought of loosing anyone close to her, weighed heavy on her young shoulders. But they were still alive. A knock on the door made her look up.

'Mom?' she said as Alina walked in the door.

Alina was the Gorn people's choosen clearvoyant woman. Like D'Jok's fostermother, Maya, she had the gift to see things others didn' her visions so far had been spot on. Right now, Rose could tell her mother was worried.

'Rose, have you been called to a meeting yet?' she asked.

'No, why? Are we nearing Genesis?' Rose wanted to know.

'No, there's still a while left. But before we reach Genesis, Sonny must call a meeting, with a battleplan' she said.

Rose nodded.

'Mom, you look worried. Is something wrong?' she asked.

Alina looked out the window.

'There are so many Gorn soliders on board, with little to no training at all, in regards to this kind of battle. If they are not prepared, there will be a major bloodshed' she said.

Rose nodded.

'Training the soliders, that's usually Corso's task. But I'm not sure if he's strong enough this time' she said.

Alina nodded.

'Battletraining such as this, is not Sonny's strong side. And he is needed elsewhere' she said.

'If Corso can't, then I will!' said a voice from the door.

'D'Jok! You're not well enough yet' protested Rose.

Sonny appeared in the door behind him.

'It is throwing him into the deep end of the pool, but Corso has trained him for this. Like you said, Corso is not strong enough for battle. He'll be leadning the armed forces operation from his bed. And be in direct contact with D'Jok, who will lead the forces on the ground' said Sonny.

Alina smiled.

'Seems it's time for a strathegy meeting?' she said.

Sonny nodded with a smile.

'The ships controlroom, in ten minutes' he said...

It had been eerily quiet on the pirates end for some time Micro- Ice thought. He did not like to sit around and do nothing.

Sinedd rubbed dry some glases.

'I wonder when there's gonna be some action' Micro- Ice complained.

'Be quiet, you're gonna blow our cover' hissed Mei.

Tia had watched the computers, and gone through some material Sonny had sent, along with Sunja.

'There, Rocket, come see this!' she said and showed him the map.

Rocket wiewed it.

'It seems it's somekind of secret gateway. But what lies behind that wall?' he wondered and pointed.

'Nevermind that, look!' Tia pointed.

Rocket smiled.

'You should be a spy, you seem to have found a way in' he said.

'Should we tell...you know who?' said Micro- Ice.

Rocket sent him a glare.

'After what happened in the match where D'Jok played, I feel like I should participate in this war' he said.

'Rocket, you're no fighter, at least not that kind of fighter. Let you know who and the others take care of this' pleaded Tia.

As inexperienced as Rocket was, she feared she could loose him.

Sinedd looked to be thinking.

'It would be a good idea Rocket, but it's none of us that calls the shots here, you need to speak to.. you know who, about this' he suggested.

Then, as on command, it sparked in Rocket's communicator. Rocket recognied the number. He urged everyone to the backroom of the bar before he replied.

'D'Jok! It's good to see you back on your feets' he said.

D'Jok looked a little pale yet, but elsewise, he seemed very much ready to fight again.

'It's great to see you all. But I'm not calling out of pleasure this time' D'Jok was serious.

'Has Sonny come up with a plan as to how to stop this lunatic?' asked Micro- Ice.

D'Jok's holografic image nodded.

'There has just been held a meeting aboard the ship, where Dad has set up the groups. That is, he left it for me to set up my own team for this. A team that will have a very special task' said D'Jok.

Mei looked at him.

'D'Jok, this sounds serious. Who is going to be in this team? And what is it this team is supposed to do?' she asked.

'Meet me at astroport 27, gate b, sublevel 12 at midnight. I'll fill you all in by then' said D'Jok.

And like his father had done in the past, he cut the transmission..

Corso looked at Sonny. The plan the pirate chief had just put forth was share insanity. But nonetheless, they had no better alternative. Sonny helped Corso put his bodyarmour on.

'We won't be the frontline this time Corso, but we will make sure to provide back up if necessary' he said.

Corso nodded.

'To be honest Sonny, I thought you had lost your senses when you put this plan forth, but now, I can see where you're going.

You love to play on the element of surprise, don't you?' he asked.

Sonny nodded, as he made sure to tighten up the last straps that would help Corso stay at his feets. Then, it was his turn. Corso made sure the armour sat tight. Though muscular, Sonny would be a sure target for Hami, Corso just had a feeling. Before he closed up the armour around Sonny's chest, he handed Sonny a medallion. Sonny looked at it.

'Corso, you were meant to give this to your oldest son' he said.

Corso nodded.

'Sonny, you know as well as I do, and it is my deepest regret, that I can't give it to him. And if I can't follow family traditions, I will pass it on to the one that stands closest to my heart, in the here and now' he said.

Sonny looked at it. Corso took it and hung it round his neck. He noticed the chain were just long enough for what he had hoped for. Corso felt torn. Maybe he should have told Sonny about the special abillity he had gotten after his near death experience recently? That he could sense danger, long before it hit? The medallion on the chain, was reinforced with a metal that made it impenetrable. Corso made sure it covered the most vital area of Sonny's body, his heart. Sonny was the pirates living beating heart. He had kept them going through the dark ages, given them a meaning, and a hope. He had made the pirates make the necessary turnaround when they needed it the most. Sonny had pored his heart and soul into the pirates, he had come close to sacrifising his own life for them many times. This time, if the necessary precatuions wasn't taken, Corso knew, it would happen. And they weren't ready. He wanted Sonny to see his dream be fulfilled. He wanted to see Sonny be able to lean back and enjoy life, perhaps, if so was the plan, he would find a good woman to fall in love with, and have a family to care for. Corso couldn't help it. He had always seen Sonny as a familyman. Corso knew he would have loved to see Sonny get a chance to live the things he missed with D'Jok. Seeing his son or doughter born, and be there from day one. Sonny had been robbed of many things, so had he. In a way, it made them into twin souls. But he at least, had been there when his sons were young, he lost them at a later age. Them and his beloved Laura. Corso knew he had made peace with the memories when making his way back to Sonny and the pirates. Sonny wasn't there yet, after all these had decided that this was something he wanted to help Sonny achieve, when the battle was won. As soon as the medallion was in place, Corso tightened the breastarmour securely.

'Too tight?' he asked when Sonny let out a sound that indicated pain.

' No, just uncomfortable when you tighten it' replied Sonny, before he started to put on his regular 'uniform', the black pants, pullover and red jacket. Corso looked at him as he got himself ready.

'Ready to go inform the teams on their positions? We should reach Genesis within the hour' he said.

Sonny nodded, as he opened a weapons cabinet, and handed Corso a gun.

'This is the most powerfull weapon we have Corso, the damage it causes is irrepreble, and it has a deadly outcome for the one hit. Don't use it unless you absolutely have to!' said Sonny.

Corso nodded, as he placed the gun on his back.

The pirates had already gathered in the back when they arrived.

'Ok, this mission is sure to be our most dangerous one yet. It's for good reason I've chosen to let the younger ones lead and have the older and more experienced pirates and soliders in the back. There could easily be a shoutout. Youngsters, the minute that happens, take cover and let the back up protect you. Understand?' Sonny looked around to see all the heads nodd.

'Team Alpha, is led by D'Jok. D'Jok has been given the task to put together his own team this time, a team he relies on, and who he works well with' Sonny said and waved D'Jok over.

D'Jok rose and stood beside his father.

'There is a good reason for why D'Jok is the leader of team Alpha. What I'm about to tell, will come as a shock for some of you, but believe me, I have given my decission serious thought over time, and I feel the time is right. D'Jok' Sonny took a step to the side, and left the podium to his son.

D'Jok looked at all the pirates there, young and old. He was about to take on a tremendous task, but he knew, he would always have his father and Corso there to ask for advice.

'Fellow pirates, comrades, friends. Today, we face the worst scum the galaxy has ever faced. We will be victorius, by working together, to defeat this eney and bring him to justice. I know some of you see me as a weak link, that I still have a lot to prove, being the son of Sonny Blackbones. I've had my doubts, fears because of this, but I've also had a caring father, who has made me see who I am, and what is my place. So, as of today, I am still D'Jok Blackbones. But, by Sonny's choise, I am also more. Today, Sonny Blackbones has made the choise to step down, of the throne as the chief of the pirates. I still want him around, as will I ask from all of you. But now, as of this moment, I am D'Jok Blackbones, Sonny's chosen new chief of the shiloh Pirates!'

_surprised? You ay think this is wrong? Keep reading the story, and you will soon see that the idea will be the best there could be._


End file.
